The Zebra Mussels In The Great Lakes
Imagine your house being invaded with foreign people disrupting your everyday life and threatening your existence. This is the sad reality of the Great lakes which have been bombarded with over 70 invasive species, including the Zebra Mussel. The Zebra Mussel has taken over the Great Lakes bottom, disrupting native food chains, environments, and species. The Zebra Mussel have endangered many native species and pose a threat to humans as well. With Zebra Mussels taking over the Great Lakes and threatening our natural resources, it clearly shows that action must be taken to protect a natural resource from an invasive species. To understand the full effects of Zebra Mussel’s we must first understand were they came from. Zebra Mussels first arrived in the Great Lakes in 1988 through cargo ships ballasts.(Zebra Mussel (Dreissena Polymorpha)) Ballasts tanks are
…show more content…
filled and drained with water to help stabilize ships transporting cargo.
Zebra Mussel larvae were sucked up into a ship's tank in Europe. The ship then came over to the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence seaway. In order to raise the ship out of the water to avoid underwater hazards the ship drains the ballast tanks. In doing so the ship let out the larvae of Zebra Mussels introducing them into the Great Lakes. Once the Zebra Mussels established themselves in Lake Erie, they spread quickly through the rest of the lakes by local boaters, birds, cargo ships and natural reproduction. Native species of the Great Lakes face a formidable foe in the Zebra Mussels. At first glance people don’t expect much from a small mussel, but Zebra Mussels massive amounts of strain on the ecosystem. One Zebra Mussel can filter one liter of water a day removing all nutrients
and food from the water.(Zebra Mussel Fact Sheet.) This removes the base of the food chain putting strain on native species to compete for minimal resources.("ZEBRA MUSSELS CHANGING GREAT LAKES ECOSYSTEM.") If the bait fish and insects have nothing to consume it ripples up the food chain lowering the population, size and health of fish, birds, mussels and reptiles in the Great Lakes. Zebra Mussels take spawning habitat and turn it into a razor sharp bed of unusable rocks that species can no longer use to spawn, creating more competition for fish to find a suitable location to spawn. Fish usually have lower rates of young growing to adulthood with less protection and food in the new spawning habitat. A prime example of this taking place is in Lake Michigan, were lower numbers of perch, a popular game fish, along with underweight fish are more prevalent.(In Search of Perch) Overall the quality of health for all fish has deteriorated to some extent. Since Zebra Mussels filter water they have created clearer water which allows more sunlight to reach new depths. Algae grows rapidly with more sun exposure which chokes out the oxygen supply in the water once it decomposes creating dead zones. In the last ten years over 70,000 birds died as a result of algae that grew due to the clearer water from the Zebra Mussels.(Invasive Mussels - National Wildlife Federation) Clearly, Zebra Mussels have a negative impact on the ecosystem of the Great Lakes. Residents living near the Great Lakes have also suffered from the infestation of the Zebra Mussel. Companies and power plants along the lakeshore or tributaries have been engaged in an expensive battle with Zebra Mussels for the last thirty years. Zebra Mussels thrive in warmer waters, 68-78 degree water, which is most common near warm water discharges from business along the water.(Zebra Mussel Fact Sheet.) Zebra Mussels can attach to any firm surface using their byssal fibers, including the inside of pipes, nets, docks, boats and transmission lines.(Zebra Mussel Fact Sheet.) Once attached Zebra Mussels require lots of man hours to either scrape the mussels off, or a complete replacement of the part, costing businesses time and money. Estimations suggests that it costs over $500 million (US) per year to manage mussels at power plants, water systems, and industrial complexes, and on boats and docks in the Great Lakes according to the Center for Invasive Species Research. To cover for these extra costs the businesses pass those off to the consumers by raising rates, making goods more expensive to the consumer. With both people and wildlife suffering from the grip of Zebra Mussels, it clearly shows that a solution needs to be put in action.
There are many options being explored to eliminate the Zebra Mussels safely and effectively. Dredging Zebra Mussels of the lake bed and discarding them on land to die is one such solution. The cost factor to dredging alone almost removes the possibility of it working because the cost would be astronomical. Also, the likelihood that the divers would remove every last Zebra Mussel is unlikely as there can be more than 700,000 thousand in one square meter.(Zebra Mussel Fact Sheet.) An introduction of a new species to either eat, kill or outcompete Zebra Mussels to eliminate them. Major concerns with this tactic is the unknown of what effects a new species could have on the body of water. This plan of action could end with disastrous results, although they had success with salmon controlling the alewife population in Lake Michigan. A more recently explored solution to kill Zebra Mussels is the bacteria called Zequanox, that naturally destroys the mussels digestive tract without harming other species. Zequanox has not been tested on infested lakes but on lakes where Zebra Mussels have only began to take over. Used as more of a preventive, Zequanox boosts a 90% kill rate without degrading water quality or harming other species.("New Hope for Invasive Zebra and Quagga Mussels.") Even if whole lakes can’t be treated due to cost and the massive amounts needed, Zequanox’s ability to kill Zebra Mussels presents a tool for businesses to prevent the infestation of equipment and harbours. With solutions out there, it seems as if each solution has their own time and place.
By using preventative measures and aggressive chemical treatment we can eliminate Zebra Mussels in targeted areas of infected bodies of water. By informing the public and commercial industries about the effects of Zebra Mussels, we can stop the spread of Zebra Mussels to new bodies of water. Once contained, the DNR can start treating the bodies of water with Zequanox. Using the bacteria that has been designed for Zebra Mussels alone it can eliminate up to 90 percent of the zebra mussels in the water system without harming the quality of water or native species. Poisoning the Zebra Mussels seems like the best option for eliminating Zebra Mussels from our waters today without making the water unsafe, or creating kill offs of native species.
With Zebra Mussels taking over the Great Lakes and threatening our natural resources, it's clear that action must be taken to protect a natural resource from invasive species. The Great Lakes are in grave danger. With a solution present today, it is up to higher authorities to take initiative to eliminate Zebra Mussels. Otherwise, the ecosystem of the Great Lakes will be damaged and potentially even destroyed leaving us to pick up the pieces and try to put the Great Lakes back together.
filled and drained with water to help stabilize ships transporting cargo.
Zebra Mussel larvae were sucked up into a ship's tank in Europe. The ship then came over to the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence seaway. In order to raise the ship out of the water to avoid underwater hazards the ship drains the ballast tanks. In doing so the ship let out the larvae of Zebra Mussels introducing them into the Great Lakes. Once the Zebra Mussels established themselves in Lake Erie, they spread quickly through the rest of the lakes by local boaters, birds, cargo ships and natural reproduction. Native species of the Great Lakes face a formidable foe in the Zebra Mussels. At first glance people don’t expect much from a small mussel, but Zebra Mussels massive amounts of strain on the ecosystem. One Zebra Mussel can filter one liter of water a day removing all nutrients
and food from the water.(Zebra Mussel Fact Sheet.) This removes the base of the food chain putting strain on native species to compete for minimal resources.("ZEBRA MUSSELS CHANGING GREAT LAKES ECOSYSTEM.") If the bait fish and insects have nothing to consume it ripples up the food chain lowering the population, size and health of fish, birds, mussels and reptiles in the Great Lakes. Zebra Mussels take spawning habitat and turn it into a razor sharp bed of unusable rocks that species can no longer use to spawn, creating more competition for fish to find a suitable location to spawn. Fish usually have lower rates of young growing to adulthood with less protection and food in the new spawning habitat. A prime example of this taking place is in Lake Michigan, were lower numbers of perch, a popular game fish, along with underweight fish are more prevalent.(In Search of Perch) Overall the quality of health for all fish has deteriorated to some extent. Since Zebra Mussels filter water they have created clearer water which allows more sunlight to reach new depths. Algae grows rapidly with more sun exposure which chokes out the oxygen supply in the water once it decomposes creating dead zones. In the last ten years over 70,000 birds died as a result of algae that grew due to the clearer water from the Zebra Mussels.(Invasive Mussels - National Wildlife Federation) Clearly, Zebra Mussels have a negative impact on the ecosystem of the Great Lakes. Residents living near the Great Lakes have also suffered from the infestation of the Zebra Mussel. Companies and power plants along the lakeshore or tributaries have been engaged in an expensive battle with Zebra Mussels for the last thirty years. Zebra Mussels thrive in warmer waters, 68-78 degree water, which is most common near warm water discharges from business along the water.(Zebra Mussel Fact Sheet.) Zebra Mussels can attach to any firm surface using their byssal fibers, including the inside of pipes, nets, docks, boats and transmission lines.(Zebra Mussel Fact Sheet.) Once attached Zebra Mussels require lots of man hours to either scrape the mussels off, or a complete replacement of the part, costing businesses time and money. Estimations suggests that it costs over $500 million (US) per year to manage mussels at power plants, water systems, and industrial complexes, and on boats and docks in the Great Lakes according to the Center for Invasive Species Research. To cover for these extra costs the businesses pass those off to the consumers by raising rates, making goods more expensive to the consumer. With both people and wildlife suffering from the grip of Zebra Mussels, it clearly shows that a solution needs to be put in action.
There are many options being explored to eliminate the Zebra Mussels safely and effectively. Dredging Zebra Mussels of the lake bed and discarding them on land to die is one such solution. The cost factor to dredging alone almost removes the possibility of it working because the cost would be astronomical. Also, the likelihood that the divers would remove every last Zebra Mussel is unlikely as there can be more than 700,000 thousand in one square meter.(Zebra Mussel Fact Sheet.) An introduction of a new species to either eat, kill or outcompete Zebra Mussels to eliminate them. Major concerns with this tactic is the unknown of what effects a new species could have on the body of water. This plan of action could end with disastrous results, although they had success with salmon controlling the alewife population in Lake Michigan. A more recently explored solution to kill Zebra Mussels is the bacteria called Zequanox, that naturally destroys the mussels digestive tract without harming other species. Zequanox has not been tested on infested lakes but on lakes where Zebra Mussels have only began to take over. Used as more of a preventive, Zequanox boosts a 90% kill rate without degrading water quality or harming other species.("New Hope for Invasive Zebra and Quagga Mussels.") Even if whole lakes can’t be treated due to cost and the massive amounts needed, Zequanox’s ability to kill Zebra Mussels presents a tool for businesses to prevent the infestation of equipment and harbours. With solutions out there, it seems as if each solution has their own time and place.
By using preventative measures and aggressive chemical treatment we can eliminate Zebra Mussels in targeted areas of infected bodies of water. By informing the public and commercial industries about the effects of Zebra Mussels, we can stop the spread of Zebra Mussels to new bodies of water. Once contained, the DNR can start treating the bodies of water with Zequanox. Using the bacteria that has been designed for Zebra Mussels alone it can eliminate up to 90 percent of the zebra mussels in the water system without harming the quality of water or native species. Poisoning the Zebra Mussels seems like the best option for eliminating Zebra Mussels from our waters today without making the water unsafe, or creating kill offs of native species.
With Zebra Mussels taking over the Great Lakes and threatening our natural resources, it's clear that action must be taken to protect a natural resource from invasive species. The Great Lakes are in grave danger. With a solution present today, it is up to higher authorities to take initiative to eliminate Zebra Mussels. Otherwise, the ecosystem of the Great Lakes will be damaged and potentially even destroyed leaving us to pick up the pieces and try to put the Great Lakes back together.