Invasive mussel confirmed in Utah's Electric Lake (Zebra mussels)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 11/20/08 | Mike Stark - ap

[NormsRevenge]

SALT LAKE CITY – Trouble-making zebra mussels have arrived in Utah. But not where they were expected to show up.

Electric Lake is Utah's first body of water where the damaging, nonnative mussels have been confirmed, state wildlife officials said Wednesday.

The officials said they were surprised the fast-spreading mussels appeared there first because it's a high-elevation lake with relatively few boaters. It is boaters who sometimes unknowingly transport the mussels from lake to lake on their crafts.

Most expected the mussels to show up first at Lake Powell.

The mussels "showed up in one of the least-expected places," said Larry Dalton, aquatic invasive species coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. "That's how bewildering this little devil is."

Zebra mussels and their cousins, quagga mussels, were inadvertently introduced into the Great Lakes about 20 years ago. They reproduce and spread rapidly, threatening food sources for fish and clogging machinery and water pipes.

[thackney]

These guys can be tough on power plant cooling water intakes.

[Pessimist]

Yeah, they really do overpopulate.

But on the other hand, they really do clean up the water too.

[NormsRevenge]

Zebra Mussel

http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/zebramussel.shtml

[Charles Henrickson]

They’re trying to mussel in on the territory.

[NormsRevenge]

Quagga Mussel

http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/quagga.shtml

[Deb]

Check with New Zealand on what this means.

I suspect sabotage. Didn't Dick Cheney find some zebra mussels in his pace maker?

[Red Badger]

Can they be eaten?..............

[YHAOS]

0bama’s fault

[NormsRevenge]

ahhh, I don’t see any recipes,, but.. ;-)

[Red Badger]

Harvest, cook, can, sell................

[Travis T. OJustice]

They’re screwed.

[thackney]

Not if you are expecting to get a meal without a LOT of work.

A couple thousand for a meal, I would guess.

[GulfBreeze]

Yea who cares though!

Enviro whacko’s need to shut up and accept that this is the return species we are replacing for destroting the 8 Toed German Field Mouse or some other such nonsense.

If they area problem for the power plants, then come with a deadly to clam solution and can the crying.

[Red Badger]

Protein is protein........

[GulfBreeze]

Put them in a press and use the squished parts for soup at high end restaraunts...

[Red Badger]

[brooklyn dave]

Too bad they’re too tiny to be eaten. Are they edible anyway?

[Sig Sauer P220]

They will eventually be in every lake since boaters go from lake to lake without thoroughly cleaning their boats.

[thackney]

Of course it doesn't take long to get a lot of them growing (hence the problem)