ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Zebra mussel larvae have been discovered in Lake Winnibigoshish (win-ih-bih-GOSH'-ish), one of Minnesota's biggest lakes.
The Department of Natural Resources says two of the microscopic larvae were found in a water sample collected from the state's fourth-largest lake in mid-July. But 14 other sets of samples collected last summer turned up no additional larvae, which are called veligers
The DNR stresses that no adult zebra mussels have been found in the popular fishing lake. But Rich Rezanka, DNR invasive species specialist, says it's prudent to list Winnibigoshish as infested. He says the presence of veligers suggests a reproducing population of zebra mussels somewhere in the lake.
The DNR says anglers and boaters should be extra vigilant in ensuring their boats and other equipment are clean before leaving a lake access.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
Comments (3)
Add commentUntil the DNR quarantines infested lake, this will just continue
How long will the DNR continue with basically a public information campaign on invasive species? It is time for a radical new approach to stopping the spread of the many invasive species in our lakes. Allowing boats to leave and enter infested waters at will, continues to allow everything from curly leaf pondweed to eurasian milfoil to zebra mussels to spread to many more lakes.
The current system isn't working. Just look at the hundreds of lakes infested with curly leaf pondweed which was one of the first invasive species to start spreading across the state. Then eurasion milfoil was next. Nothing the DNR has done in the past has stopped the spread.
As a lake property owner I am tired of spending my hardearned money to control invasive species brought in by fishermen and other boaters. It is time to close public landings on infested lakes and tightly control anyone entering or leaving those lakes. Until this is done the spread of these devastating invasive species will continue and ultimately ruin the lakes in our state.
Winne
Being that Winne is also part of the Mississippi it is probably useless to try and stop the spread of all these invasive species. The river is full of zebra mussels. Unless you figure out how to stop water fowl, turtles and basically every animal that wanders from lake to lake you can't blame all this on the boaters. It looks to me like some people just want their lakes turned back into their own private little recreation areas where no one but them would have access. Sorry---that isn't going to happen. Until the DNR spends their (my) money on research on how to safely poison or genetically control these invasive species they may as well throw the money into the wind.