Zebra Mussels Research Paper

“In the United States, the first account of an established population occurred in 1988 from Lake St. Clair.” Zebra Mussels scientific name is Dreissena polymorpha. They are native to the Caspian Sea Region in Asia. They arrived into the United States in the late 1980’, after transoceanic ships discharged contaminated ballast water. Within one year, these mussels colonized nearly every firm object in Lake Eerie. They made their way out of Lake Michigan into the Mississippi River basin with the help of the Chicago Sanitary Shipping Canal in 1992. Towards the end of 1992, Zebra mussels were found in numerous places from Minneapolis to St. Louis. They are now in 20 of the United States and the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec. On average Zebra Mussels live 2-5 years and start reproducing within their second year of life. On average a mature female Zebra Mussel releases up to one …show more content…
They attach to solid surfaces in water. These are D-shaped shells. They can often be found with alternating brownish and yellow colored strips. These mussels attach to boats, nets, docks, swim platforms, aquatic plants, and boat lifts. Adult mussels can survive out of water and spread from one water body to another. Zebra mussels were believed to come from the Caspian Sea in Europe, during the late 1980’s. They were first found in American in Lake St. Clair. They have spread to the Gulf of Mexico and north into southern Canada. By 1990, they reached Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. These mussels have reached over 600 lakes in the United States. These mussels have reached almost all states. They have not yet infested Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The unknown states, of whether they are contaminated or not are, Wyoming, Maine, New Hampshire, Delaware, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The rest of the states are already

Show More