Invasive freshwater mussel monitoring to ramp up in WA waters
By Dan Thesman on Thursday, June 27th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – Invasive freshwater mussel monitoring is ramping up in Washington and the monitoring will include the Columbia and Snake rivers.
Beginning July 1, $3.62 million in additional funding from the Washington State Legislature and federal partners will allow the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to increase monitoring, the watercraft inspection program, and other prevention and rapid response efforts.
State and federal officials estimate if harmful quagga and zebra mussels take hold in Washington, it would cost more than $100 million annually to keep them from clogging pipes and mechanical systems in hydropower and drinking water utilities, aqueducts, locks, fish ladders and hatcheries.
Invasive freshwater mussels also cause extensive ecological damage such as impeding salmon recovery and fish passage, according to WDFW. These mussel populations can reach astonishing densities of up to tens of thousands of individuals per square meter which filter enormous amounts of algae, disrupting the food chain, and impacting water quality.
Photo via WDFW shows cluster of invasive quagga mussels on a pipe
