On Sat, 23 Sep 2006 20:51:12 +0000, Shortwave Sportfishing wrote:


What exactly is the problem with zebra mussels anyway?

When I went fishing and swimming in the St. Lawrence Seaway, I loved
the clear water and the smallmouth fishing was spectacular. I had a
huge pike follow a streamer for a good distance and I watched him the
whole way - a good 50/60 feet before he took the bait.

Seems to me the clear water is a good thing.

Maybe, but clear water is just one of the mussel's impacts. The filtering
of algae is the cause of the clearer waters. That same algae that is a
food source for herring, smelt, and alewives. Which, in turn, are the
food source for the larger game fish we chase.

When an invasive species takes over, as the zebra mussel has, the
ecosystem is put out of balance. It seems to me, it is still too early to
say whether the zebra mussel's invasion is a good thing or a bad thing.