4 Months Growth of Zebra Mussels

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission and Pennsylvania Sea Grant Program this week announced they are holding a free, “Stemming the Tide: Zebra and Quagga Mussel Summit,” on November 14 at the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.

The Summit is designed for water resource managers and scientists, water utilities, recreational and commercial users, conservation and environmental organizations and others interested in the potential impacts of invasive mussels in Pennsylvania and how to monitor and control their spread.

The registration deadline is November 9.

Zebra mussels and other invasive mussel species can impact the operations of industrial facilities and public water suppliers that have intakes in waterways where the invasive species have populated. They can also damage boat hulls and engines and cause operation problems at locks and dams on rivers.

Zebra and Quagga mussels also threaten aquatic ecosystems through their aggressive filtering capacity that removes large amounts of plankton, a vital source of food for many native aquatic species.

"Only a few of the 12,000 lakes and 84,000 miles of streams in Pennsylvania are infested with invasive mussels. That leaves thousands of unaffected waterways worth protecting!” said Ann Faulds, Associate Director of Pennsylvania Sea Grant. “Right now education is our best weapon to alert people who use those lakes, rivers and streams about ways to prevent the spread of invasive mussels. We also need people who care about protecting Pennsylvania's waterways to join the volunteer monitoring effort."

"With zebra mussel populations confirmed this year on the mainstem Susquehanna River and Tioughnioga River in New York and Cowanesque Lake in Pennsylvania, it is critical that water users like dam operators, water utilities and boaters in the Susquehanna watershed be armed with as much information as possible regarding the potential serious threats from this invasive species," said Paul Swartz, SRBC Executive Director. "The Commission is pleased to join Pennsylvania Sea Grant and the Department of Environmental Protection as partners on this important summit."

The summit will include speakers, a panel session, breakout sessions and a training session for those wishing to join the volunteer Pennsylvania Zebra and Quagga Mussel Monitoring Network.

The topics will include: how the invasive mussels are changing North America's freshwater lake ecosystems; where zebra mussels are currently located and their ecological and economic implications; what are the monitoring priorities and how will gaps be filled; what are the methods and costs of controlling invasive mussel species; can water users prevent settlement of zebra mussels; and what are the current outreach initiatives and what more is needed in the future.

Speakers will include: Ann Faulds, Associate Director, Pennsylvania Sea Grant, Pennsylvania State University; James Grazio, Water Pollution Biologist, Department of Environmental Protection; Thomas Horvath, Associate Profession of Biology, State University of New York College at Oneonta; Edward Mills, Director, Cornell Biological Field Station at Shackelton Point; and Charles O'Neill, Jr., Coastal Resources Specialist, New York Sea Grant.

The zebra mussel is native to the Black and Caspian seas region of Eastern Europe. They were introduced to this country around 1986 when ocean-going ships released infested ballast water into the lower Great Lakes. Zebra mussels are prolific breeders and have few predators.

Controlling and removing them is extremely difficult, very expensive and generally unsuccessful. Cleaning boats and equipment before and after use is the best known method for limiting the spread of zebra mussels.

Registration forms and more information about the summit are available on Pennsylvania Sea Grant's Zebra and Quagga Mussel Monitoring Network webpage.

The program is free, but pre-registration is required. For more information, contact Ann Faulds at Pennsylvania Sea Grant at 215-806-0894 or send email to: amf12@psu.edu .

10/12/2007