Invasive quagga mussel will spread massively in Switzerland
Published: Thursday, Nov 16th 2023, 09:40
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The invasive quagga mussel is expected to spread massively in Swiss lakes. According to a new study, the biomass per square meter is likely to increase by a factor of nine to twenty over the next 22 years.
In addition, the quagga mussel is likely to increasingly penetrate deeper areas of the lakes, as the aquatic research institute Eawag reported on Thursday.
The quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis), which originates from the Black Sea, has been spreading in Swiss lakes and rivers for around ten years. It can cause considerable damage to water infrastructure and ecosystems. While the quagga mussel was only detected in Switzerland in 2014, it has been spreading in North American lakes since the late 1980s.
Researchers from the University of Konstanz and Eawag compared data on the start of the spread from four of the five Great Lakes in North America (Huron, Ontario, Michigan and Erie) with data from three Swiss lakes (Lake Constance, Lake Geneva and Lake Biel). They found that the dispersal patterns largely coincide. According to Eawag, this makes it possible to predict the spread of the mussel.
Unstoppable momentum
In lakes that are already infested, the invasiveness of the mussel means that the dynamic can no longer be halted, according to the researchers. However, it is possible to design the infrastructure in such a way that the mussels and their larvae cannot invade.
This finding is also a warning for lakes in which the quagga mussel has not yet been found. These include Lake Zurich and Lake Lucerne. The researchers emphasized that suitable measures, such as a cleaning obligation for boats and targeted information campaigns, could still prevent the spread into new bodies of water.
©Keystone/SDA
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