Great Lakes Boating

31 GLB | A p r i l 2 0 17 greatlakesboating.com Far And Wide A single mussel can lay up to five million eggs in its five-year lifetime, about 100,000 of which will reach adulthood. The zebra mussel's main tendency is to congregate on hard surfaces in gigantic, dense colonies that can have tens of thousands of individual mussels per square yard. It's estimated that there are 10 trillion quagga (a closely related species) and zebra mussels in the Great Lakes alone. The effects of such high volumes of mussels are manifold. First, unlike other species of mussel, they have no problem attaching to and smothering the native mussel population. Second, they filter up to a liter of water per day to eat plankton, their food. While this does increase the clarity of the water for us to enjoy, the side effect is that it denies that food to the rest of the animals in that body of water, such as fish and other mollusks, which upsets the balance of the local ecosystem. Third, they accumulate contaminants in their tissues to a level up to 300,000 times higher than the rest of the ecosystem, which exposes other wildlife (and humans!) to greater-than-normal levels of contaminants. Finally, their sheer numbers clog up pipes, intakes, and cooling systems, which affects not only boats, but also facilities such as water treatment plants. Billions Spent If it sounds like they're a nearly insurmountable problem, it's because they are. Infestations of zebra mussels have cost businesses and communities an estimated $5 billion since their introduction to North America, with power companies alone accounting for over $3 billion. According to the Center for Invasive Species Research at the University of California, Riverside, the cost to manage the zebra mussel population in the Great Lakes alone surpasses $500 million a year, while a more conservative study places the cost at $267 million for electric-generation and water-treatment facilities in the entire United States from 1989 through 2004. Either way, they're a huge problem, because they're impossible to eradicate once they've been established in a body of water, and any chemical treatment designed to kill the mussels would also harm the surrounding wildlife. So what recourse do we have? How To Lose Mussel Paul Coxe has an answer. As the CEO and founder of 060Bio, LLC, a company dedicated to fighting invasive species, he and his team have developed a product called the Dock Disk that is an effective, non-toxic zebra and quagga mussel repellant. The Dock Disk hangs in the water near any structure or vessel that needs to remain mussel-free. Coxe says, "Our anti-mussel technology can be formed to serve a number of different industries. Utilities, drinking water, manufacturers, irrigation, fire safety, all are affected by clogged intake lines. Our non-toxic, environmentally-friendly repellant is safe for all industries." So how does it actually work? The 7.5-inch disk has an inner membrane impregnated with a proprietary blend of brass that is activated when it comes in contact with water. This then filters out into the surrounding water and compels the mussels to leave the area. It doesn't kill the mussels, and it doesn't harm any other creatures in the vicinity. To achieve a mussel-free zone, 060Bio suggests placing the disk three to four feet below the surface, and spaced out along the dock every 12 to 15 feet. Each disk lasts up to six months and is recyclable. Lest you worry about the Dock Disk causing trouble not only for other animals but for humans, Coxe assures us that the product is completely safe. It meets EPA and FDA standards for potable water and passes ANSI/NSF Standard 42 regulations for drinking water system components.

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