So, What’s Wrong with a few Zebra Mussels?
A few zebra mussels would be tolerable. The problem is that zebra mussels have a high reproductive capacity. They reproduce several times a year and attach in mass quantities on mussel shells and other hard objects. They can literally “carpet the bottom” of the river with a layer of zebra mussels that may be a few inches to several feet thick. In 1993, densities were as high as 100,000 per square meter at a site on the Illinois River! If you were a native mussel, can you imagine trying to feed, breath, or reproduce under a layer of zebra mussels?
