ASHELY FIESS

The Zebra Mussel is a small freshwater mollusk that is native to the Caspian and Black Sea. It was first sighted in the United States in 1988 in Lake St. Clair. Its spread to the United States is believed to be caused by the transfer of water by commercial transatlantic ships. The first commercial report in Lake Champlain was in 1993.

The mussels are filter feeders and consume microscopic plants and animals that balance the food chain.
The mussels clog intake pipes to industries that surround Lake Chaplain such as the Municipal Water Supply Facilities, Georgia Pacific Paper, and Grand Isle Fish Hatchery.
As a result of the invasion of zebra mussels, six of the fourteen native mussel species have been listed endangered.