Oregon Fish & Wildlife expert says quagga mussels will be catastrophic for fish and water systems
You may have heard that various kinds of invasive plants and animals create problems for species that are native to an area. In the case of the quagga mussel, which only grows to the size of a thumbnail, its effects extend beyond the natural ecology and into the built environment. … Rick Boatner, the invasive species coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, says the invasive mussels are what’s known as filter feeders. “They’re removing the lowest part of the food web out of the water system, the phytoplankton and stuff like that,” Boatner said. “So now you will not have the food needed for our salmon fry and steelhead trout species…”
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