How do zebra mussels and quagga mussels spread to new locations?
In Pennsylvania, it is illegal to possess or transport zebra and quagga mussels. However, in most cases, people spread invasive mussels without knowing it. Both mussels can survive out of water for up to five days, making it easy for them to be carried from lake to lake on recreational boating equipment, fishing gear, and diving equipment. Adult mussels can attach to boat hulls, trailers, motors, vegetation and equipment left in the water using sticky fibers called byssal threads. In their youngest form the microscopic larvae, called veligers, can move to new locations naturally by floating along in a water body for up to 4 weeks. Why is monitoring important? In Pennsylvania, only a few of the 12,000 lakes and 84,000 miles of streams are infested with invasive mussels. Monitoring is needed to detect new AIS introductions before they become established and to alert people who use those lakes, rivers and streams to take proper precautions to prevent the spread of invasive mussels. We nee
