Austin, Texas — Invasive zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) have been confirmed to have spread from Lake Texoma into the head waters of Lake Lavon, and experts fear they could eventually spread throughout the Red River and Trinity River watersheds.

  Zebra mussels multiply rapidly and can block water treatment plant intakes and pipes as well as attach themselves to boats, ropes or anything else left in the water. They can cause declines in fish populations, native mussels, and birds. They can also restrict water flow in pipes, foul swimming beaches, damage boat engine cooling systems and cause navigation buoys to sink. The financial cost of controlling and removing zebra mussels from fouled water intake structures can be significant.

  Since 2006 there have been five documented cases of zebra mussels being found on boats at Lake Texoma that were trailered in from other states. All five boats were quarantined and cleaned of all mussels prior to being allowed to launch into Lake Texoma. However, April 3 of this year marked the first time that an adult zebra mussel was documented as living in Texas waters. Since that time, additional live specimens have been reported in Lake Texoma and are now believed to be well established.

  In addition, on Aug. 3 live zebra mussels were found in West Prong Sister Grove Creek in Grayson County approximately 300 yards downstream of the Lake Texoma water transfer pipe. This creek flows into Lake Lavon.

  "The only motile stage of this animal is the veliger (larvae), which, in Lake Texoma, had to be a product of reproduction," said Bruce Hysmith, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) inland fisheries biologist for Lake Texoma.

  "The larvae are free floating in the water column, and some were likely transported via the North Texas Municipal Water District water transfer system into West Prong Sister Grove Creek," Hysmith said. "While we have no proof, we feel certain zebra mussels are in Lake Lavon."

  Hysmith said TPWD has deployed sampling equipment throughout Lake Lavon from the U.S. 380 bridge to the south shoreline and will be monitoring to see if zebra mussels show up and confirm department suspicions.

  "Lake Lavon is in the headwaters of the vast Trinity River Basin, which extends southward to the Gulf of Mexico, so the potential impacts to water quality, fisheries resources, water distribution systems and recreation are huge," Hysmith said.

  "Zebra mussels have the potential to be an even greater threat to Texas freshwater resources than invasive aquatic plants such as giant salvinia and toxic organisms such as golden alga," said Phil Durocher, director of TPWD’s Inland Fisheries Division.

  Zebra mussels pose a possible threat to North Texas water supply and distribution systems. Their spread is magnified by the interconnection of many reservoirs within the DFW area through water transfer pipelines.

  According to the online National Atlas of the United States, "Once zebra mussels become established in a water body, they are impossible to eradicate with the technology currently available. The cost of dealing with zebra mussels varies widely, [but] for many plants, costs average hundreds of thousands of dollars a year."

  Zebra mussels originated in the Balkans, Poland, and the former Soviet Union and were first introduced in North American in 1988 in Lake St. Clair, a small water body connecting Lakes Huron and Erie.

  In the coming weeks TPWD will be working with local, state and federal agencies, reservoir controlling authorities and water districts to develop a plan for dealing with this latest invasive threat to Texas waters.

  Boaters and anglers can help slow the spread of zebra mussels from one water body to another by practicing the following steps when leaving any water suspected of having zebra mussels.

  * Drain all water from the boat including such things as the engine, bilge, livewells and bait buckets before leaving the lake.

  * Inspect the boat and trailer and remove any zebra mussels, vegetation, or foreign objects that are found.

  * Wash your boat and trailer at a commercial carwash using high pressure and hot (140-degree) soapy water. Hot water, 140 degrees F, will kill zebra mussel veligers, and when the water from the carwash goes through a waste water treatment plant the process should kill any remaining mussels.

  * Open all compartments and livewells and allow the boat and trailer to dry for a week before entering another water body.

  Boaters and anglers can also help by reporting sightings of suspected zebra mussels to the Operation Game Thief toll-free hotline at (800) 792-4263. OGT is Texas’ wildlife crime-stoppers program, a function of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Law Enforcement Division. OGT offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals who violate game and fish laws.

  ---------------------------------------------------------

  We’ve reported several stories similar to this in the past from different areas around the country. In fact there is a recent story from Missouri saying zebra mussels have turned up in Pomme de Terre Lake in the south central part of the state. Some other Missouri waters that are infected include Lake Taneycomo, Bull Shoals Lake, Lake of the Ozarks, the Osage River below Bagnell Dam and the Missouri River around Kansas City and Chamois.

  It can’t be proven, but these infestations are probably the result of carelessness on the part of anglers inadvertently spreading the mussels with their boats, trailers and fishing equipment. In addition to the above precautions you can take to help stop the spread here are a few more suggestions:

  * Examine crevices and recessed areas around motor housings, trim tabs and behind water intake screens on motors’ lower units. Wash them all with high pressure 140 degree water.

  * Also check and wash your trailer, ropes, minnow buckets, anchors and anything else that was in the water. Small zebra mussels give hard surfaces a sandpaper feel.

  If we all are a little more vigilant we can slow down and hopefully stop the spread of pests like these in our nation’s lakes, rivers and streams.

  Little Rock, Arkansas – Feral hogs are not native to North America, but many feral hogs live in Arkansas because of illegal releases and high reproductive success. Hogs compete directly with many native game animals for food and destroy habitat for many other wildlife species.

  The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission tries to eradicate feral hogs from its wildlife management areas and encourage private landowners to kill all free-ranging feral hogs on their property.

  There are a number of problems caused by feral hogs, including:

  * Habitat destruction – Feral hogs root for food and wallow, which destroys vegetation, ruins water holes used by other wildlife and contributes to erosion.

  * Damage to endangered or sensitive plant/animal communities – Feral hogs can cause major, sometimes irreparable, damage to small, fragile habitats, such as acid seeps in the Ouachitas and cedar glades in the Ozarks.

  * Disease – Feral hogs can carry brucellosis and pseudorabies, both of which can spread to livestock. Some diseases carried by feral hogs can be transmitted to humans. Gloves should always be worn when handling feral hogs.

  * Direct competition with native wildlife – Deer, squirrels, ducks, turkeys, bears and many other species depend on acorns. Hogs also love acorns and are very efficient at finding them (often tearing up wildlife habitat in the process).

  * Crop loss – Hogs often cause heavy damage to row crops, gardens, flower beds, pine plantations, orchards, tree farms and pastures.

  * Trespass – It is illegal to release hogs or pigs on any public land. Feral hogs may be released only onto private land that is adequately fenced to prevent them from escaping. The Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission (www.arlpc.org) has additional regulations regarding disease testing, slaughter and identification of all hogs, including feral hogs.

  On private land, feral hogs may be killed or trapped year-round by a landowner or anyone with the landowner’s permission (except anyone who has had his or her hunting license revoked). All general regulations for hunting safety should be observed.

  The AGFC encourages hunters to shoot all feral hogs they see on Wildlife Management Areas. Hunters may kill feral hogs on WMAs during any open hunting season as long as they are using a weapon legal for that season. Only permit holders may hunt feral hogs during special permit hunts. Feral hogs killed on WMAs can be taken for processing or left where they were shot. Hunters may not use dogs, bait or traps to hunt feral hogs on WMAs and may not hunt at night.

  The following Wildlife Management Areas have particularly high hog numbers. They may suffer extreme loss of habitat for deer, turkey and other wildlife if feral hogs are not eradicated: Cut Off Creek WMA, Petit Jean WMA, Gene Rush WMA, Sulphur River WMA, Gulf Mountain WMA, Dr. Lester Sitzes III Bois d’Arc WMA, Harold E. Alexander Spring River WMA, Shirey Bay Rainey Brake WMA.

  Editors Note: Arkansas is not the only state that suffers from feral hogs. Please check your local regulations before taking any feral hogs in your area. They’re not worth getting in trouble over but definitely worth the trouble to keep in control. Good luck, stay safe and enjoy the bar-b-cued pork!

  I have to say that I am the luckiest man in Texas to be able to get out and hunt and fish all year round. But, when I get to do this and share the outdoor magic with family it is even sweeter. Since all my family lives on or near the coast they have evolved into seasoned anglers who know what fish species are biting during seasonal changes. Me and my brother-in-law, Domingo Lopez III, utilize this critical info from cousins, uncles and close allies to plan trips to the coast via San Antonio. So when we kept hearing stories of one cousin’s good fortune at a magical fishing spot called "Shamrock Cove" we jumped all over the opportunity to check out this info to see if fish could really be found there.

  Our fishing guide for the morning wade was Eddie Morin head chef for a local Denny's restaurant in Corpus Christi. He had already had successful outings to Shamrock Cove two days in a row and limited out on slot Reds both times. The bait of choice was live shrimp fished under a popping cork and we would be fishing clear shallow water filled with grass beds and pot holes. Since we are hardcore fisherman we already had our gear prepared and loaded in the Chevy Z71 to depart at 5:30am. We executed the plan perfectly and arrived at the cove with bait in hand around 7:30am.

  There were already dozens of pickup trucks spread out along the shallow shores of Shamrock Cove when we arrived and things were looking tough, but we knew we could quietly sneak in and secure a good wade spot. The water was unbelievably clear and calm with bright yellow pot holes glowing like nuclear Red fish habitat. Our plan was to wade south to north towards a sand bar covering a small channel that ran perpendicular to the shore.

  Success did not come early and it seemed like the other anglers were coming up empty as well. Slowly one angler after another departed the fishing spot to move to greener pastures leaving us with more room to wade and more potholes to cover.

  After about an hour and a half of determination my 10 year old son, Jared hooked up with a nice 25 inch Red. The feisty fish nearly ripped the fishing pole from his hands. But he hung on and landed the fish like a true pro.

  We continued to fish working our way toward a nice area that had a large bright yellow pot hole that seemed to be holding hungry fish. Our hunch was right and for the next two hours it was non-stop Red fish action with everyone in the party landing their limit plus catching and releasing a bonus limit.

  It was hard to believe but the fishing action did not get heat up until the weather did close to noon. But in South Texas it is too hard to fight the sun and heat even if the fish are biting like crazy. We finally had to surrender to Mother Nature and call it a day.

  And what a day it was! Three limits of slot sized Reds plus numerous others released. With the fish hanging on a stringer, we took photos and relished the moment. There were big smiles from everyone who attended our Shamrock Cove wade party!