“The mudsnail has the potential to devastate Colorado’s fisheries and harm native fish species,” Gary Skiba, multi-Species Coordinator for the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW), said. “Our goal is to get the word out about this exotic so the public is not only alerted to the threat, but will also be proactive in preventing its spread.”
New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopygus antipodarum) are native to the freshwater lakes and streams of New Zealand. Only 1/8-inch long, they were first detected in the United States in the mid-1980’s when they were found in the Snake River region of Idaho. They have since spread to Montana, Wyoming, California, Arizona, Oregon and Utah, including several waters in Yellowstone National Park. The only known population in the eastern U.S. is in Lake Ontario, where a population was discovered in the early 1990’s.
The biggest threat posed by the mudsnail is its ability to compete for food and eventually displace resident invertebrates – e.g. bugs that feed fish. Lack of natural predators and the snail’s ability to reproduce asexually have led to densities as high as 750,000 for every 10.7 square feet of river bottom. To put it in perspective, every day Idaho Power has to remove 15 tons of snails that are as small as a grain of sand from their trash racks to prevent clogging the Middle Snake River Dam.
Full Story
Oak
New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopygus antipodarum) are native to the freshwater lakes and streams of New Zealand. Only 1/8-inch long, they were first detected in the United States in the mid-1980’s when they were found in the Snake River region of Idaho. They have since spread to Montana, Wyoming, California, Arizona, Oregon and Utah, including several waters in Yellowstone National Park. The only known population in the eastern U.S. is in Lake Ontario, where a population was discovered in the early 1990’s.
The biggest threat posed by the mudsnail is its ability to compete for food and eventually displace resident invertebrates – e.g. bugs that feed fish. Lack of natural predators and the snail’s ability to reproduce asexually have led to densities as high as 750,000 for every 10.7 square feet of river bottom. To put it in perspective, every day Idaho Power has to remove 15 tons of snails that are as small as a grain of sand from their trash racks to prevent clogging the Middle Snake River Dam.
Full Story
Oak
