Zebra mussels found on Gull Lake
It was an otherwise perfect day on Gull Lake.
The imperfection, though, was immense - a deep dark cloud on an unusually warm and calm October day on Brainerd's best-known lake.
On Wednesday, the DNR confirmed that zebra mussels have been found in the lake and that it will be designated as infested waters.
According to Dan Swanson, a DNR invasive species specialist in Brainerd, the mussels were found on the east and west sides of Gull Lake. Swanson said Nisswa Dock Company discovered the zebra mussels attached to a boat lift pulled from the lake on Monday. The DNR surveyed additional docks and boat lifts recently removed from the lake and found zebra mussels attached to several boat lifts and to some aquatic vegetation. More zebra mussels were found Tuesday and Wednesday.
"It's not localized. It has spread," Swanson said of the mussels. "They're very small ... the young of the year. You've got to search to find them. And their numbers aren't real high yet. But they've been in there for sure for a year. The adults are out there reproducing.
"It's infested - Gull Lake is infested with zebra mussels."
One of the zebra mussels found this week on Gull Lake.Department of Natural Resources