History
Zebra mussels were first described from the Caspian Sea and Ural River in 1769. Zebra mussels were found in the Canadian waters of Lake St. Clair in 1988, most likely the result of ballast water. By 1990, zebra mussels had been found in all the Great Lakes. From the Illinois River the mussels found their way into the Mississippi River drainage.
Biology
Zebra mussels can lay 40,000 eggs in a reproductive cycle and up to one million in a spawning season. After the eggs are fertilized, the larvae emerge within 3 to 5 days and are free-swimming for up to a month. Zebra mussels can grow to a maximum length of about 50 mm and live four to five years.
Ecology
Rivers with established populations of zebra mussels include the Arkansas, Cumberland, Hudson, Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee. States reporting zebra mussels within their bodies of water include Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Impact
Zebra mussels colonize pipes and constrict flow, therefore reducing the intake in heat exchangers, condensers, fire-fighting equipment, and air conditioning and cooling systems. Due to zebra mussel densities, the diameters of pipes have been reduced by two-thirds at water treatment facilities.
Small mussels can get into engine cooling systems and cause overheating and damage. Navigational buoys have sunk under the weight of attached zebra mussels. Dock piling deterioration increases when encrusted with zebra mussels. Corrosion of steel and structural integrity of concrete can be affected by continued attachment of zebra mussels.
Control
New Mexico Institute of Technology researchers in Socorro, New Mexico, have tested a chile-pepper-based additive for paints and other coatings that has proven to repel the zebra mussel.
References on the Web:
Invasivespecies.gov
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species
ENN
New Mexico Institute of Technology
