These black sandshell are covered with zebra mussels

The US Geological Survey’s Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center (UMESC) has a long standing reputation for testing Investigational New Animal Drugs to be used in aquaculture.  Their work has aided the US Fish and Wildlife Service hatcheries by providing data on the safety of different chemical used to treat fish and mussels.  Just one of their many highlights was the work UMESC did with Hydrogen Peroxide, which is an effective chemical for treating fish and fish eggs for fungus.  Hydrogen Peroxide is environmentally safe and user friendly.  Currently UMESC’s Jeff Rach is working on a new chemical known as a biobullet for the treatment of zebra mussels.  Upon their accidental release into the Great Lakes in the mid 1980’s zebra mussels have caused major problems not only for native mussels, but also to humans, by restricting water intake systems by clogging cooling system pipes, costing companies millions of dollars for zebra mussel removal.  Chorine is the current chemical of choice for removal of zebra mussels in cooling systems.  However, the use of chorine harms non-target species and leads to the increase of dioxins in the environment.  Dioxins are carcinogens that are known to bioaccumulate in the environment.  Early studies by Rach indicate that biobullets are successful at killing zebra mussels, while not harming native mussels.  Biogullets also breakdown to non-toxic chemicals if not assimilated by the zebra mussels within a few hours.  A second round of tests is scheduled for this summer.  To complete his study, Rach needed native mussels encrusted with zebra mussels.  In order to collect the mussels Rach asked Genoa National Fish Hatchery’s mussel biologist to assist in the collection of the mussels by using SCUBA gear to locate and collect the mussels.  Fifty, three ridge mussels and nearly a dozen other species of mussels were collected in about an hour’s worth of diving.  The native and zebra mussels are being held at UMESC until the time of the test.  Results from this biobullet test will indicate if zebra mussel encrusted natives are susceptible to the effects of the biobullet.  Should the biobullets work as planned, then we may have our fist target specific chemical to combat the zebra invasion, in the presence of native mussels.