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Zebra Mussels Found In Connecticut

SALISBURY -- State scientists are stepping up efforts to prevent the spread of

zebra mussels into Candlewood Lake, Lake Zoar and Lake Lillinonah after the

mussels were discovered recently in a lake near Salisbury.

The recent discovery of the mussels in East Twin Lake, located in the

Northwest hills of Salisbury, is the first confirmed sighting in the state and

only the second discovery of the mussels in New England. The mussels have been

found growing in New York lakes and in the Hudson River, as well as in lake

Champlain for a number of years, and recently were discovered in Vermont, but

had not been found in Connecticut until now.

The mussels, native to the Black and Caspian seas, have caused millions of

dollars of damage in the United States and Canada, particularly in the Great

Lakes region and the Mississippi River basin.

Nancy Balcom, a specialist in nonindigenous species invasions for the Sea

Grand College Program at the University of Connecticut, said the mussels are

"fouling" organisms, secreting tiny threads to attach themselves to rocks,

aquatic weeds and industrial and residential water intake pipes. The mussels

rapidly form large reefs, reducing or blocking water flow through the pipes,

often causing major problems for power companies. The mussels also can alter

local aquatic ecosystems by using the food supply and the habitat of native

organisms.

The thumbnail-sized freshwater mollusks have been rapidly spreading throughout

river and lake systems in the eastern half of North America since the

mid-1980's.

"Unfortunately, it was just a matter of time until the mussels invaded

Connecticut," said Ms Balcom. "Western Connecticut has always been the most

likely place for the mussels to show up, being close to the New York border

and subject to a lot of interstate boat traffic from areas with zebra

mussels."

The mussels that were found in East Twin Lake in an aquatic weed harvest

operation this summer were up to 15 millimeters in length, indicating that

they may have been introduced into the lake in late 1997 or early 1998.

Multiple specimens were found attached to aquatic weeds, but they were sparse.

David Leff, assistant commissioner of the state Department of Environmental

Protection, said the state has worked with UConn Sea Grant to identify

potential waters susceptible to infestation and to educate the public on the

problem since 1994.

"The discovery of zebra mussels in a Connecticut lake is not unexpected," he

said. "The state is concerned over the potential impacts to the environment

and water dependent industries."

Ms Balcom, based at the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus, has

been conducting educational outreach since 1992 to warn of the potential

invasion and instruct boaters and lake managers about means to prevent their

spread. A task force was formed to develop strategies for monitoring and

controlling the mussels and soon will reconvene to discuss how to limit the

spread of mussels in the state.

UConn developed a survey, in conjunction with the Department of Environmental

Protection and the task force, to gather information about boat use patterns

in three Connecticut Lakes: Candlewood, Zoar and Lillinonah. The information

collected was used to help educate the public through signs posted at boat

yards, public service announcements, mailings to boaters, and information in

DEP Anglers Guides.

"We have been monitoring for zebra mussels in the Housatonic and Connecticut

rivers for more than five years," said Milan Keser, supervisor of the

Northeast Utilities Environmental Lab, and a co-chairman of the task force.

"Our last check in the Housatonic River and Candlewood Lake earlier this month

turned up no sign of the mussels. However, now that they're here, we'll be

reconvening the task force to discuss plans with renewed vigor."

"We've been expecting them for five years, said James T. Carlton, director of

maritime studies at Mystic Seaport/Williams College. "I believe that it's only

because of the efforts of Sea Grand and the state that they didn't invade much

sooner."

Mr Carlton has received $750,000 in funding from Sea Grant, the US Coast Guard

and other federal agencies to do studies on how zebra mussels and other

invading plants and animals travel from one place to another. The most common

method of transport, he said, is via ballast water in ocean-going ships,

although the organisms also can travel between lakes and rivers on boat hulls,

on aquatic weeds caught in propellers or on boat trailers, and invisibly in

bait buckets in their larval planktonic form.

"I like to remind boaters and anglers to take some simple precautions to avoid

spreading zebra mussels and aquatic weeds from lake to lake," Ms Balcom said.

"The most effective steps to take are removing all aquatic weeds from the

propeller, boat trailer and other gear before leaving a launch area, washing

your boat, and drying it thoroughly in the sun for several days before using

it again."