The USGS documents the zebra mussel's geographic distribution and studies its behavior and biology. The resulting information is critical in helping to develop strategies aimed at containing and controlling the mussel's spread. Meanwhile, catching and transporting zebra mussels for use as bait, food, and aquarium pets is highly discouraged.
We also encourage good boat hygiene:
- Wash your boat off with warm, soapy water if possible
- Do not transport water from live wells and bait buckets from one water body to another; empty them onto land when possible and dispose of leftover bait in the trash. Most often the bait fish are not native to that water, just like the zebra mussels.
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What are zebra mussels and why should we care about them?
Zebra mussels are an invasive, fingernail-sized mollusk that is native to fresh waters in Eurasia. Their name comes from the dark, zig-zagged stripes on each shell.Zebra mussels probably arrived in the Great Lakes in the 1980s via ballast water that was discharged by large ships from Europe. They have spread rapidly throughout the Great Lakes region and into the large rivers of the eastern...
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Snakeheads are air-breathing freshwater fishes that are not native to North America. In scientific terms, snakeheads are divided into two distinct genera:Channa (snakeheads of Asia, Malaysia, and Indonesia)Parachanna (African snakeheads)In the summer of 2002 and again in late spring 2004, Channa argus, the northern snakehead, generated national media attention when anglers caught this fish in a...
What is an Asian swamp eel and what does it look like?
Swamp eels are freshwater fish, but they are not closely related to other living eels or snake-like marine and freshwater fishes. In addition to the name swamp eel, other English common names used for members of this group of fish include rice eel, rice-paddy eel, and belut. The swamp eel family includes more than a dozen species. Asian swamp eels may be confused with a number of native animals...
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