Zebra and Quagga Mussels

Origin: Both zebra and quagga mussels originate from Europe. They are fresh water bivalves native to the Black Sea region. Zebra and quagga mussels were introduced to North America through the ballast water of trans-continental ships in the late 1980’s.

Habitat: Zebra and quagga mussels are highly adaptable and can survive in lakes displaying various environmental conditions and in water flowing up to 2 m per second. They attach themselves to hard surfaces like shorelines, docks, pipes, and the bottom of boats.

Ecological Impacts

• One mussel can filter up to 1 litre of water a day! Zebra and quagga mussels filter out nutrients and micro-organisms such as plankton which are the base of the food chain for BC’s native aquatic species. This could result in the collapse of valuable native fish populations in BC such as sockeye salmon.
• Invasive mussels cause toxic algal blooms, which impact fish and wildlife.
• Zebra and quagga mussels also lead to increased growth of aquatic weeds along lake shorelines which degrades water quality and the aquatic environment.

Economic Impacts

• Invasive mussels overgrow and clog water intake pipes of power stations, municipal water supplies, and agricultural water intakes. They coat beaches, docks, and the propeller and hulls of boats to the point that they become unusable.
• The sharp shells of mussels can harm swimmers’ feet and decomposing mussels produce an unpleasant odour, thus impacting recreational beaches.
• The predicted cost of zebra and quagga mussels if they were introduced to BC ranges from $64 to $129 million annually.