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Musseling In_Layout 1  18-09-18  3:03 PM  Page 4







































                                                                                    Christian Tremblay pulls a set of
                                                                                    PVC plates out from Whirlpool
                                                                                    Lake. The plates will be
                                                                                    examined for zebra mussels at
                                                                                    the end of the season.



               Lake Audy, Lake Katherine, Moon Lake, Deep Lake   lakes, you’d see a complete change in the balance of
               and Bob Hill Lake.                                the lake ecosystem.”
                 If any adult mussels exist, they’ll likely be found on  But for all the talk on the devastation caused by
               these plates.                                     zebra mussels, prevention remains one of the most
                 Researchers are also scraping Whirlpool with    important, and perhaps underreported, tools behind
               plankton nets to try and catch any free-floating   controlling their spread.
               veligers.                                          “People are the threat to it,” said Kathryn Yarchuk, a
                 Meanwhile, several lakes are being tested for eDNA  21-year-old environmental studies student in her
               using makeshift peristaltic pumps built from electric  second summer at Riding Mountain.
               drills. Water is siphoned through a filter, which will be  “And right now, we can do the research on the
               analyzed later in the lab.                        impacts of it, but by researching it, we’re only having
                 Should zebra mussels establish themselves in    a really small change on what’s happening, versus if
               Whirlpool Lake, like they have in the Great Lakes area  you want to make a change you need to be telling
               and Lake Winnipeg, the situation will be irreversible.  people and informing them about why it’s important,
                 Not only do the mussels filter lakes of plankton,  and that’s a very important role.”
               disrupting local food chains, they have been known to  Veligers are microscopic and have the ability to
               clog water intake systems, cut the feet of swimmers,  survive in small amounts of water, while adult mussels
               and be a general eyesore on piers and docks.      can live for up to 30 days outside of it.
                 “The park is here to preserve the ecological integrity  As a result, watercraft remain the No. 1 vector for
               of Clear Lake and the rest of the park,” said Colleen  transporting zebra mussels, which can include
               Robertson, a 20-year-old environmental science    everything from motorboats, canoes, kayaks and
               student who spent her third summer at Riding      paddle boards. Even inflatable water wings can
               Mountain helping with the research side of things.  transport larvae from one area to another.
                 “And if we do introduce zebra mussels or any other  Both federal and provincial legislation is in place to
               invasive species into Clear Lake, or any of the other  prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species and


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