Officials in Texas have been continuously reminding boaters in Texas that their actions could be very helpful to reduce stemming of invasive zebra mussels in the state.

Experts said boaters who clean, drain and dry their boats, trailers and gear before traveling from one Texas waterway to another are key to stop further spread of the invasive mussel species.

Recent flooding has helped refill the drought-parched reservoirs, rivers and bays throughout the state. And now experts warn that these rains could potentially help spread the zebra mussels downstream.

Zebra mussel larvae, called veligers, are suspended in the water column for a month or so after spawning, and they are readily transported downstream with flowing water, said experts.

At a time in a year when these mussels are spawning, they get moved a long distance downstream in the flows, which Texas is now experiencing.

Brian Van Zee, Inland Fisheries Regional Director in Waco for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said, “However, despite the danger of flood distribution, zebra mussels are also susceptible to rough conditions caused by floods, such as water turbulence, turbidity (cloudy water), and low oxygen levels”.

Van Zee said these flood conditions could potentially help by causing high levels of zebra mussel mortality. Presently, it is hard to predict what impact the flooding will have on zebra mussel populations, Van Zee said.

Right now, the Red River, Trinity River, and Brazos River systems are the only river basins where zebra mussels have been found.
Besides these rivers, all the other river basins in the state are still un-infested, and boaters’ actions are still absolutely vital to help prevent zebra mussels from spreading to any new river basins, Van Zee said.