An Intruder
has come
The intruder is the Quagga Mussel. What’s so dangerous about that? Originating from the Dnieper River, in the Ukraine, there was no Quagga presence here in America, up to 1989. Since then, Quaggas were discovered in the Great Lakes and then in Lake Mead, Lake Mohave and Lake Havasu. They continue to spread; fed, via the Colorado River. That includes Diamond Valley Lake. Why should Californians care about Quaggas? There is no predator for the Quagga, which makes them unstoppable.
They have already invaded our regions’ waterways and reservoirs, intake pipes at power stations, water treatment plants and agricultural irrigation lines, to name a few. “They wreck havoc with existing life in lakes and create a new ecosystem that is dangerous for human health and safety in fundamentally devastating ways”, according to the National Resource Defense Council.
With our detection of the Quaggas in our region back in the 1990’s, officials hoped for a Quagga Control Plan to emerge soon. But no plan is in place, at present. Quaggas continue to endanger the quality of drinking water for millions of consumers.
Quaggas reproduce in prolific numbers. They flourish from surface water levels to
water as deep as 400 feet. Quaggas have no food value for humans. However, a double-
whammy occurs as Quaggas consume vast amounts of phyto-plankton that would otherwise feed many levels on the food chain. Waters with Quaggas become much clearer, due to removal of the phyto-plankton. While this sounds like good news, the sunlight penetrates the water level moremore deeply, which promotes the growth of aquatic weeds. This sours the taste of drinking water. The ecosystem is disturbed as Quaggas grow with no abatement while removing the food source for other living organisms.
Again, why should Californians care about Quaggas? Quaggas raise economic costs because of the maintenance problems they create. In the Great Lakes Quagga infestation cost the power industry $3.1 billion. The ripple effect this caused was an economic hit amounting to more than $5 billion. Quaggas affect boat owners, too. They attach themselves to boat hulls, motors and steering components. Quaggas could restrict recreational boating, unless a remedy is found.
So we as float tubers and more importantly as fisherman should take this seriously. The Quagga Mussel is as much our issue as anyone elses. How can we help control this invasive species? We should always comply by drying all parts of our tubes after our fishing trips. It is also necessary to allow your watercraft to dry for at least 5 days before being put back into the next body of freshwater, which is a good practice anyhow. But we should all go through a simple inspection before entering our waters. It can be troublesome, I know. It seems to slow us down when we just want to get out there and fish. But in reality, it is a very short time spent trying to keep the waters that we enjoy free from the Quaggas. Contact the authorites over the lakes and waterways you use to find out more about the Quagga Mussels and to see if your favorite waterways are at risk.
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