Invaders of the Great Lakes: Invasive Species and Their Impact on You - Softcover

Hollingsworth, Karen R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1591937701 ISBN 13: 9781591937708

Publisher: Adventure Publications, 2017

Synopsis

Stop the Invasion!

Invasive species have invaded the Great Lakes. They are poised to invade thousands of lakes, rivers and streams. Learn how to stop them. This handy guide spotlights 44 invaders and details how they live, grow, reproduce and spread. Armed with this knowledge, you can help protect our inland waters, keeping your favorite fishing spots and lakeshores healthy.

Book Features:

• 44 invasive species divided into three categories: invertebrates, plants and fish
• How they impact you, your environment and the economy
• Tips to stop aquatic hitchhikers and other information
on how you can help
• QR codes linking to web pages with even more details

About this title

About the Author

Wildlife Forever is America’s leading all-species nonprofit conservation organization. Working with private conservation groups, state game and fish departments, and federal agencies, Wildlife Forever has been involved in more than 1,000 projects, covering every state in the nation. Wildlife Forever’s conservation projects fall into four categories: habitat, fish and wildlife management, research, and conservation education. Award-winning programs include the Threat Campaign, which provides anglers, hunters, and all recreational users with the information they need to stop the spread of invasive species, and THE ART OF CONSERVATION State-Fish Art Program, a K-12 nationwide competition teaching children aquatic education through the arts.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Zebra mussel
Dreissena polymorpha

Other Common names: none

Description: under 1 inch (up to 2); black to brownish “D”-shaped shell, generally with alternating dark and light stripes (zebra-like); usually in clusters of individuals; on smooth surfaces, young feel like fine sandpaper, juveniles are peppercorn-size

Compare: zebra mussels can sit flat on their ventral (lower) surface, quagga mussels (page 44) cannot

Habitat: attaches to hard surfaces (rocks, logs, boats, docks, etc.); generally in shallow (6–30 feet), algae-rich water of lakes, rivers, canals, ponds

Origin: native to Eastern Europe; introduced to Great Lakes in late 1980s by ballast water; spread to the Mississippi River, its tributaries and inland lakes

Spread by: recreationists transporting mussels attached to aquatic plants, boats, nets, fishing equipment and in water; produces several hundred thousand microscopic eggs per season

How you can help: Zebra mussels are now found in all the Great Lakes and many U.S. states. The cost of prevention and control is estimated to exceed $500 million annually.

CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY (page 20)

Report new sightings to your state’s natural resource agency (page 128); note date, exact location (page 130) and include a photograph, if possible

Place specimen in a sealed plastic bag (or in rubbing alcohol) and report

Impact on You: Zebra mussels are a serious problem and can encrust boat hulls, piers and moorings. Larvae drawn into boat engine intakes can colonize the interiors of engine cooling systems

Disrupts aquatic food web

Facilitates nuisance plant growth

Sharp shells littering beaches can make a stroll hazardous

Smothers native clams/mussels (many are rare) and crayfish

Edition details

• Publisher: Adventure Publications
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1591937701
• ISBN 13: 9781591937708
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 152