Invasive mussels muscle their way into the Great Lakes…on this CurrentCast.
You might think a creature the size of a dime is no match for a freshwater system the size of Texas, but quagga mussels are prolific breeders. Multiply one by trillions, and you get mussels that can wallop even a big body of water.
Native to Eastern Europe, quaggas – like their cousins the zebra mussels - barged in through the ballast water discharged from ships, and were first spotted in Lake Erie in the late 80s.
Quagga mussels feed year-round on plankton and other organisms, depleting food supplies for native fish which can create a devastating domino effect in the food web. So finding a way to knock out these invaders is critical to preserving a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem.
Native to Eastern Europe, quaggas – like their cousins the zebra mussels - barged in through the ballast water discharged from ships, and were first spotted in Lake Erie in the late 80s.
Quagga mussels feed year-round on plankton and other organisms, depleting food supplies for native fish which can create a devastating domino effect in the food web. So finding a way to knock out these invaders is critical to preserving a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem.