MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Invasive zebra mussels have been discovered in an isolated lake in northeastern Minnesota, just 10 miles from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The Star Tribune reports (https://strib.mn/1hgDDSZ ) biologists from the Fond du Lac Band of Chippewa found the zebra mussels on an aluminum can in Crooked Lake. The area is about 70 miles from the nearest inland lake where zebra mussels had been known to exist.
“Nothing anymore is a surprise, but it is a disappointment,” said Rich Rezanka, aquatic invasive species specialist for the Department of Natural Resources. “We’ve tried hard with prevention methods. Someone wasn’t paying attention.
“(The zebra mussels) didn’t drive up there or hitchhike up there. They got moved up there.”
Officials with the DNR and the U.S. Forest Service haven’t found other mussels since the recent find on the can, but the lake is being managed as infested and crews will continue to search connected waters.
Rezanka said zebra mussels filter nutrients from lake water, leaving water clearer but with less food for fish and native species. Because lakes in the Boundary Waters are already low in nutrients, a zebra mussel infestation there would likely harm fishing.
Boaters are urged to clean boat hulls and pull drain plugs when moving boats from lake to lake.
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Information from: Star Tribune, https://www.startribune.com
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