I am going to bet that these are now in most of our area lakes following the spring and early summer flooding. Everything down stream would have them once water is released from any infected lake.

If zebras deplete or kill off the black bass I see that as a good thing. No more worrying about high powered bass boats running over me while I'm catching catfish. Now light up them flame throwers

Better chance of affecting the hybrid and white bass populations. My guess is it may actually improve habitat for bass

+1

I do a weekly outdoor column in our local paper. Been involved and following zebra mussels since the 80's. Wanted to share a column I just published. Please note the last paragraph comments. May I add Mr. Allen Latham's son devoted his life to studying aquatic invasive species. Fees' closing or limiting access's but when you ask the experts might be the next step in natures change

Title:
Aquatic Invasive Species Are They Part of Natures Change?


Dave Mccurnin, a Lake Belle Taine property owner, concerned because the lake he is on is considered a high risk for aquatic invasive infestation, sent me a e-mail with a few of his suggestions to fund aquatic species efforts. His recommendation Included, five dollar fee accessed to every fishing and boating license sold. Tournament contestants, required to pay ten dollars for every tournament they are a participant. Mccurin, suggests if inspectors are not available to be at the access, it must be closed. Resorts with their own private launch areas must pay for inspectors to be present.

Dean Christofferson, President of the Park Rapids Bass Club, holds tournaments every Tuesday night on a number of lakes �As a club we are very vigilant about AIS. We know the potential problems that could arise if we weren�t.. We go through the inspection process more then other boaters and we should. We work hard to prevent spreading of invasive species because the very thing we love to do could be at risk and will protect to the best of our abilities. A ten dollar fee to each boat in a tournament on Belle Taine, to be used to prevent the spread of AIS. Great Idea !! I�m all for it with some modification. Call it lake use fee and all using the lake should be subjected to it.� As a avid fisherman, Christofferson will approach anyone that may have weeds visible on the trailer or boat he comes in contact with.

Barry Choinard, National Professional Anglers Association Board Member and FM Walleyes Member and tournament coordinator had this to say: �I�ve always carried the message that AIS is everyone�s responsibility, as such, I don�t support a user fee approach. The amounts funded by our government entities should come from the tax paying community as a whole, not a small fraction of the population. Indeed many of the funds being used come from those sources.Continued effort to expand the tools available to fight AIS in Minnesota is the most critical element we face today. Empower the leaders to allow them to influence others. If I WANT to decontaminate my boat after a day on the water � I should be able to access a decontamination facility within 30 minutes no matter where I am in the state.Sportsman have established and funded many of the critical organized activities in our state well before AIS became near the threat that it is today, without any support from lake associations or organizations. When AIS stepped to the plate, now these lake groups want to dictate how we run our organizations and use our lakes with rules built with just a lake association point of view.

Allen Latham, Green Lake, Spicer Minnesota, a sixty year veteran geologist, in the past frequently shared notes with his close friend, the late Tom Bonde, Green Lake Spicer, Minnesota a career aquatic biologist for the Minnesota DNR, United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the United States Corp of Engineers. Both members of the Green Lake property owners association serving as past directors and president. Latham had this to say � It is a good idea to slow the spread of aquatic invasive species. In my opinion the best way is by funding decontamination efforts . If the intent is competing or altering nature, better have a large billfold. � Lathham added this closing thought � nature, means change, and aquatic invasive species are part of the natural order of things. It is inevitable, so be prepared to accept that aquatic invasive species are part of natures change.�

Experts = your very first warning you are about to be ripped off.

Fees = never let a crisis go to waste. Just wait... there will be a fee for collecting the fee.

Study = figure out a way to take someones' money and transfer it to a government pinhead's wallet/retirement program.

Empower the leaders to allow them to influence others = Make people feel good about being scammed.

Another big giant pot of money seized from the working man for bureaucrats to waste away for zero results or produce the same old vapid reports of nothing.

May I add the column left off the ultimate catch phrase for draining wallets and dreaming up confiscatory guilt fees/taxes for government waste: "Think of the Children."

I have more respect for someone with the stones to come a put a gun in my face and demand my money than a committee of experts taking it by bogus fees. At least you know up front your are being robbed by a criminal.

I am solely responsible for this thought crime.

Boy did you hit the nail on the head with this one... right down to the "Think of the Children" Are you sure your not from Hawaii? Every bill in our legislature right now is adding a fee, raising a fee or increasing a tax or adding a tax... and in every public hearing I've attended, I've heard "For the Children", "think of the children" or as we say in Hawaii "But it's for da Keiki" (children) at least a dozen times in every hearing.
Great post... Follow the Money, baby, Follow the Money, that's all those Experts are in it for.

I've caught so many giant smallmouth in great fisheries that seem to have been largely made possible by zebra mussel "infestation" that I'm cool with replacing the bald eagle with the zebra mussel as our national symbol.

Those who complain to me about the zeebs clogging up power plant intakes and such, my reply is generally "Well, good....there's one job that can't be outsourced to India, eh?"

Just wonder how many of those zebra muscles headed downstream with all those millions of gallons of water being discharged by the dams due to the heavy rain and all the lakes being over pool. Certainly that is a hell of a lot more than what might be contained in someone's bilge water. Yes I do take the time to remove my plugs and drain my boat. i do not intend to unnecessarily spread the infestation of any invasive species and I sure as hell do not wish to be fined, but to blame boaters is purely idiotic.

Another thought. How many people do you know that launch their boat and pull out of one lake and go to another to launch. It does not sound like very typical behavior. I think most boaters use the same body of water for the most part and between launches they probably clean their boat.

So, I have see Zebras in Texoma a few years ago they were real bad. When I say bad, the casual person could see them. Under nearly every rock, and a few items floating that had them on it, we noodle, and you could feel them in every hole you stuck your hand in. when the lake dropped we started to see less and less, I am sure they are still there. this weekend at Lewisville, my wife and I were trolling and she got hung, when we pulled it up, it was an old Rod and reel (3-4 years old) It had the Largest Zebra I have ever seen (Size of your thumb, and several about that size). they are everywhere, and just cleaning a boat does not stop this. with last years floods, the battle is over, unless they find something that likes them. But I will say, the year that we saw the most at Texoma, the water was the clearest I have seen in 35 years... Hmmm

Now found in Lake Worth, Eagle Mountain, and Livingston.

http://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases...rce=govdelivery

Well I have to say this, I have a friend of mine that has a cabin on lake Erie and he said the water clarity is great. But neither one of us are biologist.

Blue cats love them and will gorge on the things. Catch a winter time Blue in Ray Roberts and it will have a belly full. Feels like gravel in it's stomach. They will sometimes puke them up in the box. Don't put blues in the livewell. Them mussels they puke up will destroy your pumps and valves. Been there done that.
The up side is there are gonna be a lot more blue cats to catch and bigger too.