I've been tracking them for four years in my part of the lake - I don't see
rthis doomsday prophecy coming true....Like I said, they gotta eat something
to keep multiplying, no ?
Anyway, I'll let you know !
I'm glad you've been lucky, but that is no doomsday prophecy. I can
show you specimens of 30-40 year old native mussels so encrusted with
zebra mussels, they died because they could no longer feed. Entire
populations have basically been exterminated by the little demons.
Others? Turtles with limited motility due to ZMs, turtles with nearly
no sight due to encrusted ZMs. Ponds that quickly colonized, and when
the ponds cleared or could no longer keep up with the burgeoning
population, the ZMs had a large dieoff, the decay sapped O2 from the
water, the decay made nutrients available again, another population
explosion, and so on. Damage to property from ZMs is extensive.
BTW, where do you live? I may be able to hook you up with some folks
who can discuss local ZM issues with you.