Hello All,

I thought this forum could use a post and the Zebra Mussel issue came to mind.

As a scuba diver, I have seen zebra mussels on almost all the wrecks in Lake Michigan and Huron and their massive invasion and huge colonies are speeding up the collapse of wooden hulled wrecks. This is bad. Since zebra mussels became established in Lake Erie, water clarity has increased from 6 inches to 30 feet in some areas. This is good.

From The Great Lakes Science Center web site (www.usgs.gov):

The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a small, non-native mussel originally found in Russia. In 1988, this animal was transported to North America in the ballast water of a transatlantic freighter and colonized parts of Lake St. Clair. In less than 10 years, zebra mussels spread to all five Great Lakes and into the Mississippi, Tennessee, Hudson, and Ohio River Basins.

Although removing zebra mussels from a lake or river is almost impossible, preventing their spread into new areas is not. Human activities have spread zebra mussels into many inland lakes and streams, usually through recreational boating, fishing, and diving practices. Simple steps such as draining live wells, cleaning vegetation off boat trailers, removing attached zebra mussels from boat hulls, and not dumping bait into lakes or rivers can prevent the spread of zebra mussels and other exotics into non-infested waters.

What else can we do?

I thought I read somewhere that, while increased clarity is nice (especially for diving), the added sunlight increases the growth of grasses and algae - not good.

This is supposed to be bad for fishing, in both cover and messing with the bait fish, I believe.

Some have also mentioned the notorious "dead zone" in the middle of Lake Erie. Related???

Good read:
http://www.detnews.com/2.../0508/14/Z06-275416.htm

-John

As much of a problem as the mussels are, the lack of a hard freeze is hurting us too. Besides the algae growth, the lake-effect snows tend to dump the lakewater outside of the basin, which lowers our levels.

I hope you get lots of water to raise lake levels up there. When we brought "Sea Jay" from Port Huron, around MI & to Chicago, my wife & I looked at & smelled the canal water, wanted to go back to MI! You are very fortunate to have such nice marinas and the "clear" water!

GB49, how did you add the little picts?

But don't forget that Chinese crab species that has invaded the Bay, the thing that looks like it has a glove on its body. THat sucker could destroy the crabbing industry.

Jeff

From a fishermans point of view...
the zebras establish themselves in the shallows were sunlight penetrates down to the bottom 3-4ft. 15 years ago- they were around docks, shallow ledges, trim tabs... They grow/multiply faster than the grasses that root in these same shallows. I first started noticing the loss of vegetation about 10 yrs ago in these areas. This is were many game fish spawn and lay eggs. The grassy area provides cover for small fry until it grows big enough for me to catch in open water.
Now with the increased water clarity, zebras have moved into deeper water. I've pulled them up from 35 ft. The whole look of the lake bottom has changed. Time will tell what this will do to THE most productive freshwater fishery in the world- Erie.

-Someone mentioned the clarity of that lake up north... cold water doesn't hold the sediment like warmer water. Erie is so shallow, it mudds up quick after a little weather and clears up a little slower. Shallow, warm... like a puddle compared to the ocean.

A good cold winter will help the fishing. Iceing will cool the surface water and send it to the bottom allowing warmer bootm layers to rise and then cool doing the same. These convection currents will mix up the lake. Thats how you get rid of the dead zone ( anoxic layer) at the bottom, mix it up with the healthier, oxygen rich upper layers. Sorry for the ramble- cabin fever??