Zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, are small, fingernail-sized, freshwater mollusks accidentally introduced to North America via ballast water from a transoceanic vessel. Since their introduction in the mid 1980s, they have spread rapidly to all of the Great Lakes and an increasing number of inland waterways in the United States and Canada. This invasive species represents what happens when an invasive species takes hold in a area, as I have watched the progress of this species since the mid 1980's.  Now many of our lakes have been redefined by the Zebra Mussel, their ecology forever changed.

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Zebra Mussels in the News

Resources for Zebra Mussels

Zebra Mussels in the News

• Toxin muscles in on zebra mussels -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY Researcher finds bacterium that kills invasive pest infesting New York, other states  CAMBRIDGE -- A small laboratory in the rolling farmland of northern Washington County may have dealt a real setback to the zebra mussel, a tiny striped mollusk that infests waters of New York and about two dozen other states. Thursday, March 13, 2008 Albany NY News - Times Union - Serving Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Troy
• NPR: An Upside to the Invasive Zebra Mussel? (March 13, 98) NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts
• Zebra Mussel's impact anything but clear - After becoming so badly polluted it was labelled a “dead lake” in the 1960s, few would have imagined the waters of Lake Erie would one day be compared to the vibrant hues of the Caribbean. But in an ironic twist of fate, a destructive invasive species that entered the Great Lakes about 20 years ago has created increasingly clear waters, leaving many to reasonably assume the lakes keep getting cleaner and healthier. But it's just an illusion created by the zebra mussel — a tiny interloper that's killing off life under the surface even as it continues to make all the Great Lakes look more and more picturesque. (July 19, 07) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
• Students Study Zebra Mussels - Researchers at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva discovered there are plenty of mussels in Seneca Lake. Not the kind you might have for dinner but the kind that clings. A professor and a pair of students spent eight weeks studying Zebra and Quagga mussels in the lake. (June 18, 2003) R News: Your NewsChannel
•  Suspect No.1: Zebra mussels Residents have reported a large number of mussel shells washing up on the shore of Canandaigua Lake. Nearly all signs point to the dying off of zebra mussels as the cause of a persistent white foam on Canandaigua Lake. (Friday, November 16, 2001) Daily Messenger
• Lake foam may come from dead zebra mussels Officials still have to conduct more tests on the foam floating on Canandaigua Lake. Recent tests in Canandaigua Lake suggests heavy foam buildup may be due to decaying zebra mussels. (Wednesday, September 26, 2001) Daily Messenger
• Lake clarity improves with help The view into Canandaigua Lake is much clearer due to the eating habits of zebra mussels. People swimming in Canandaigua Lake may notice how easy it is to see their toes in water that's up to their chins. (Tuesday, August 28, 2001)Daily Messenger
• New zebra mussel risk cited Lake George-- Study finds conditions ripe for infestation to spread Just when it appeared that scientists were winning the fight against zebra mussels in Lake George, a new study says that the prolific mollusk could invade as many as 19 more locations around the lake. (March 29, 2001) Times Union
• Mussels clear divers' vision OSWEGO, N.Y. -- The scourge of lakefront residents, the zebra mussel is proving to be one of divers' best friends.  (March 4, 2001) - -DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE
• Cleaner Lake Lures Mussels Millions of zebra mussels moved into Onondaga Lake because ammonia levels fell.  Scientists have detected the first signs that polluted Onondaga Lake is slowly but surely becoming cleaner. (September 19, 2000) Syracuse Online 
• Downside of Onondaga Lake cleanup: zebra mussels SYRACUSE -- Scientists have detected the first signs that Onondaga Lake, one of the most polluted bodies of water in the country, is slowly but surely becoming cleaner. (September 18, 2000) Times Union 
• Officials: Zebra mussel eradication efforts successful LAKE GEORGE -- The summer season has been a good one in the fight to keep the problematic zebra mussel from further infiltrating Lake George, lake officials report. (September 9, 2000) The Post Star
• Lake George zebra mussels out-muscled Lake George -- Aggressive eradication effort credited with ridding lake of boat- and shore-damaging pests (August 30, 2000) Times Union.
• Zebra Mussels Both Destructive And Beneficial To Great Lakes Some big pieces of our local history are being destroyed by a silent but persistent predator. (August 26, 2000) RochesterToday
• A plague on Finger Lakes Zebra mussel numbers drop, still a major nuisance (August 7, 2000) Star-Gazette
• State sees fewer zebra mussels DEC says scarcity of food has populations dropping in state waters WATERTOWN -- They still number in the billions, but zebra mussel populations around New York are declining, state environmental officials say. (August 2, 2000) Times Union
• Alien invaders find cozy niche ----DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE Digital Edition
• E-Link: Zebra Mussels Spreading Rapidly--from EnviroLink News Service
• City on guard as 'zebras' appear Clinging mussel threatens Hemlock Lake, a source of Rochester's water --DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE Digital Edition
• Tiny Mussel Big Threat To Water Supply--From: News and Views | City Beat |Monday, March 15, 1999

Zebra Mussels Resources:

• Zebra Mussels Use the information below to explore web sites and find answers to important questions about Zebra Mussels and the interests and concerns they have created in the Great Lakes and other waterways of the United States.

• From the US Army Corps. of Engineers: Zebra Mussel Research Program. See the Impacts of Zebra Mussels. 

• Zebra Mussels: Lessons Learned in the Great Lakes

• "Zebra Mussel: An Unwelcome Visitor" --A fact sheet produced by the Rhode Island Sea Grant College Program.  This site present a short history of the Zebra Mussel problem and what measure you can take to slow their invasion.

• The Zebra Mussel by Michael, Zoe, Victor  A short description of the Zebra Mussel.

• Invasion of the Zebra Mussel in the United States--by Amy J. Benson National Biological
  Service & Charles P. Boydstun National Biological Service  A very well-done, and detailed explanation of the Zebra Mussel problem.

• Short-term Reduction of Adult Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in the Hudson River Near Catskill, New York: An Effect of Juvenile Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) Predation? This site includes a lengthy abstract you can view if you have  Portable Document File Help for format.

• Zebra Mussels « (check here to see a collection of pictures of the Zebra Mussel.)

• WZMTF Links to Related Sites: The following list is an attempt to provide valuable information for those interested in learning more about zebra mussel and the consequences associated with their gradual movement into the West.

• National Zebra Mussel and Aquatic Nuisance Species Clearinghouse - New York Sea Grant Extension Program, Morgan II, Room 2105, SUNY College at Brockport, Brockport, NY 14420-2928, 716.395.2516 - 800.285.2285 contact:zmussel@cce.cornell.edu

• Zebra Mussel Information Resources: This page is being developed using YOUR suggestions and comments as part of the National Zebra Mussel Information Network. Your participation is required to further our goal in providing needed information for the management and control of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha).

• Zebra mussel, harmful algae link studied Once just a Great Lakes problem, zebra mussels are taking over the nation's inland lakes -- an invasion MSU scientists think may affect the lake ecosystem.

• Zebra Mussels and Other Nonindigenous Species --from Sea Grant Great Lakes Network

•  Zebra and Quagga Mussels Dreissenids are members of a small superfamily of Eurasian freshwater bivalve molluscs that have become invasive pests and now present one of the most serious ecological disturbances to freshwater ecosystems in North America. Since discovery in the Great Lakes, considerable research efforts and funds have been directed toward examining the ecological and economic impact of the zebra mussel invasion. Our studies have investigated the genetic divergence between the zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga (D. bugensis) mussels, and a potential third variant (the profundal mussel), and have tested their systematic relationships to other invasive relatives (Mytilopsis and Corbicula).