Clean, Drain, Dry After Leaving The Lake

[flipin4bass]

I think it's commendable how the Minnesota DNR is taking a proactive stance against invasive species with videos like this. Although it's somewhat long, I found it very informative. The zebra mussel has already been introduced in some of our lakes and I just hope they can be controlled by diligent boaters.

[Shewillbemine]

We have strict inspections at some of our lakes here in SoCal and I'm ready to follow them to a tee to help prevent the spread of these things.

[Bluebasser86]

Don't get your hopes up too much about them stopping them altogether. They are in several lakes around here, one of those lakes just got them this year and it has zebra mussel inspections and spray downs before you can even launch, they still got in there.

[slonezp]

Let me start by saying I did not watch the video yet. Zebra mussels have cleaned the water in the Great Lakes and allowed fish species to flourish. The fish will adapt. Walleye were unheard of on the south end of Lake Michigan and are making appearances more often the last few years. The goby, although egg stealers, have given fish an abundant food source. Since the smelt and aelwife populations are down from the introduction of salmon, which is another non native species. The average size fish is larger. The bass population continues to grow, the perch population has seen an increase in size and 15"-16" perch are somewhat common in the spring. IMO aquatic vegetation will do more damage to fisheries than the aquatic animals. But, What do I know? From what I understand on a local level, the zebra musses are full of toxins they have filtered from the water. The gobies eat the mussels and the larger fish eat the "contaminated" gobies. I have also heard that the micro organisms the mussells filter out is food for smaller species of bait fish ie. the smelt and aelwifes. This is why there populations are low. No one will admit the stocking/overstocking of salminoids are the cause of the demise because the amount of money it brings to the fishery.

Cleaning to prevent the spread of disease is more believable

[Bankbeater]

They are in several of the lakes around me. I don't know if they are hurting the fish population or not. All I can say is that I have seen several flathead cat going to town ont them.