I received this question today in an email:
How bad are mussels now and is there any good news on them??? Do any of the fish species eat them????
This is my replay:
Mussels have colonized the entire lake from the dam to the headwaters. They arrived in 2012 and were found lakewide by 2015.
The good news is that many of the fish species 'effectively' eat mussels including: Bluegill, Green sunfish, catfish and carp.
Some species eat them but do not crack the shell so gain no nutrition from the feeding event: stripers, and some bass.
Other wildlife that eat mussels include ducks (mallards, coots and perhaps other species).
Unfortunately, the predation helps a bit but the reproductive rate of mussels is so large that they cannot be overcome by predation.
We have to live with these invasive critters in the lake. How is that working?
Mussels are siphon feeders that may siphon one liter of water per day plus the nutrients in that water. Times that by a billion x billion and the mussels certainly have the upper hand in the lake.
The good news is that low lake level water heats up more and actually kills mussels. On a hot July day main lake surface temperature may exceed 83 degrees (higher temps in coves and protected areas). Mussels cannot survive 88 degree water. Many die due to heat intolerance.
So the end result is that mussels are having a negative impact on fish species but they are not winning the game. The biggest influence of mussels so far is the creation of clear water zones in the lake which are often less likely to have plankton for fish to eat. Fish production is down slightly but still solid.
The deep, long narrow canyons are another positive factor. Mussel are only on the walls with short little siphons and the deep open water is occupied by nutrients, plankton, and fish. This is playing out like a close football game and the teams are tied at half time. We have to keep watching to see how it ultimately turns out but right now I am rooting for the fish.
Quaggas from a catfish stomach.
How bad are mussels now and is there any good news on them??? Do any of the fish species eat them????
This is my replay:
Mussels have colonized the entire lake from the dam to the headwaters. They arrived in 2012 and were found lakewide by 2015.
The good news is that many of the fish species 'effectively' eat mussels including: Bluegill, Green sunfish, catfish and carp.
Some species eat them but do not crack the shell so gain no nutrition from the feeding event: stripers, and some bass.
Other wildlife that eat mussels include ducks (mallards, coots and perhaps other species).
Unfortunately, the predation helps a bit but the reproductive rate of mussels is so large that they cannot be overcome by predation.
We have to live with these invasive critters in the lake. How is that working?
Mussels are siphon feeders that may siphon one liter of water per day plus the nutrients in that water. Times that by a billion x billion and the mussels certainly have the upper hand in the lake.
The good news is that low lake level water heats up more and actually kills mussels. On a hot July day main lake surface temperature may exceed 83 degrees (higher temps in coves and protected areas). Mussels cannot survive 88 degree water. Many die due to heat intolerance.
So the end result is that mussels are having a negative impact on fish species but they are not winning the game. The biggest influence of mussels so far is the creation of clear water zones in the lake which are often less likely to have plankton for fish to eat. Fish production is down slightly but still solid.
The deep, long narrow canyons are another positive factor. Mussel are only on the walls with short little siphons and the deep open water is occupied by nutrients, plankton, and fish. This is playing out like a close football game and the teams are tied at half time. We have to keep watching to see how it ultimately turns out but right now I am rooting for the fish.
Quaggas from a catfish stomach.
