‘Emerging threat’: An invasive species is upending life in the Delta, with no help on the way

CalMatters ^ | November 4, 2025 | Rachel Becker

[artichokegrower]

One year after the discovery that golden mussels had invaded the Delta, thick colonies coat boats and piers and threaten water supplies for cities and farms. Yet the state has no specific funding or plans to tackle harms in the heart of the invasion.

[artichokegrower]

Thank you China

[FatherofFive]

How do they taste?

[Georgia Girl 2]

Mussels in garlic sauce?

[TexasGator]

[PGR88]

I blame climate change.

Do I win a prize?

[larryjohnson]

Yes another China invasion of Sacramento

[larryjohnson]

Yes another China invasion of Sacramento

[1Old Pro]

There is a zebra mussel problem in The Mohawk River as well.

https://mohawk.substack.com/p/invasion-of-the-zebra-mussel

[sopo]

“These things came clearly from another region, another country — and that all our waterways are culture and society is at risk,” Nice metaphor, Rhoedesia Ransom.

[TornadoAlley3]

AI Robots will solve it.

[Celtic Conservative]

There is a bright side to this type of infestation. The mussels are filter feeders. Which means they can improve water clarity. But don’t eat them: the filtered out toxins and bacteria build up in their tissues.

CC

[FatherofFive]

Mussels in garlic sauce?

Yummy. Or in a nice cioppino

[GingisK]

Whose head?

[SMARTY]

RIGHT!!! "Native to China and Southeast Asia, the mussel is suspected to have slipped in on a commercial ship..."

What do you expect when you throw open your boarders to all and sundry, with NO oversight??? 😡

[sasquatch]

Santa Cruz solution. Extremely expensive boat storage:

Private Boat Storage Program
Due to the concern regarding contamination of the reservoir with aquatic invasive species (AIS) such as Eurasian mussels, private boat launching will be restricted to allow only boats that are stored at the Loch Lomond Recreation Area. Annual storage fee for trailered boats is $425 and $325 for non-trailered boats. This includes inspection/decontamination and launch fees. Boats may be removed but must be decontaminated ($30 fee) prior to re-entry into Loch Lomond Reservoir.

Why not just charge the decontamination $30 fee when entering? Protecting their rentals??

[VanShuyten]

Happily feeding on the raw sewage running off the streets of the Bay cities.

[XRdsRev]

“Why not just charge the decontamination $30 fee when entering”

Because the state probably does not want to pay employees waiting around to decontaminate boats that may or may not show up on any given day. I would think it is cheaper for them to have set times to decontaminate a known number of boats at one time.

[RatRipper]

Cajuns are too smart to live in California. They would figure a good way to EAT them.

[hinckley buzzard]

This how we got zebra mussels in the Great Lakes, years ago. Nothing much can prevent such contaminations.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Another “Invasive species.” I still remember the hype over the invasive species of KUDZU in the 1970s.