Zebra Mussels:(

[TOMMY RICH]

Just read an article in the Dayton paper over the weekend that really had some startling news. Caesers Creek resivoir has been found to have Zebra Mussels in the lake.

I have a friend in the DNR and we had a very long discussion about it. We are both in agreement that, in a small lake like Caesers...it could be devistating

The great lakes has them and have for years but, even now we have no idea what the long term effects will be. They are also in the Ohio River With all the transpotation of exotics to different places that they should not be part of that eco system....Where does it all end?

I can show you acres of pines on Dale that are all dying because of an exoctic beetle from a foreign land that was brought over somehow and is slowly destroying the land.

Snakeheads and Bighead carp are invading some of our waters.

People are dumping different types of shad and other exotics to other waters by simpy dumping out there baitbuckets or livewells.

How can we stop it? OR can we?

 

[fatrap]

Tee

In southwest Iowa we have very few little impoundments to fish. That's it. Except a few bullhead/catfish streams. The state accidently stocked yellow bass, a river fish resembeling white bass into our little impoundments by not checking the water drawn into the hatchery when raising catfish fry.

Now most of these small areas have to be totally killed out and restocked. This leaves us about two places to fish for bass in one quarter of the state.

I feel your pain.

fatrap

 

[Don Wilhelm]

Tee, Zebra mussels are bad news. I live and work near Lake Michigan, and as you are aware, the lake is full of them. They have been spread to most of the lakes I fish in Indiana, and they produce very adverse effects. At first, it seems that their presence is good, because they actually clear up the water. This causes 2 major issues for fisherman; 1st, clearer water makes for spookier fish that are harder to catch and 2nd, the plankton that bait fish feed on is removed from the water. Lack of bait fish food usually results in lack of forage base for game fish. Because there are no natural predators for the mussels, they can just about take over a lake in a short time. The Zebras also pose a hazard to people walking in the water because the shells are hard and sharp (not too friendly to fishing line either). No matter how you slice it, exotic species that have no natural predators will harm our ecosystems. I really don't have any ideas to solve the problem except for strict penalties for people who dump fish, and the standard practice of cleaning out live wells and rinsing off boats and trailers before moving from one body of water to another. It is also prudent to be aware of invasive species so that if caught, they are not returned to the water.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

That's just the "tip of the iceberg" too Don. The Round Gobie is turning into a problem.

There's just so many of us...that's a problem in itself . We just need to eduacate more people on what those long term effects are in what we do and take for granted everyday of our lives.