New Zealand Mudsnail
Gov. Dirk Kempthorne announces at a conference on Feb 17th that Idaho Fish & Game will team up with The Nature Conservancy of Idaho to find ways to prevent the New Zealand mudsnale from devastating Silver Creek. Details |
There seems to be a new
kid on the block. The New Zealand mudsnail. This tiny yet prolific snail
is now in Silver Creek. It has spread throughout the Southern Idaho area
and into other waters of the West as well. Very
little is known about the snail at this time but biologists are
gathering data as quickly as possible. The New Zealand Mudsnail is of
great concern because it competes for the same food that certain aquatic
insects need. The life span of the NZ snail is one year but the
reproduction rate is astounding. So it should not take long to start
noticing if this pest is a real problem for the future of Silver Creek.
The first documented case of the NZ snail in Silver Creek was in 2001 in
Butte Creek near the Hayspur Fish Hatchery. Studies are being conducted
right now to find the distribution and concentrations of the snail. TNC
officials have taken a pro-active approach to control the spread of the
snail by setting up "boot wash stations" on the banks of
Silver Creek within TNC property. The wash stations use a grapefruit
seed extract to kill the snail. We know that the NZ snail has a tough
time moving upstream on it's own, but fish and humans can distribute the
snail everywhere. Fishermen transport the snail on their boots and fish
can ingest the snail, swim upstream and re-deposit the snail unharmed
back into the stream. Only time and careful studies will tell the tail
of this new invader.
There is a web site out now that has a wealth of information on how to educate yourself and others on limiting the spread of the snail. The site also provides information on the impacts of the New Zealand mudsnail |
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NEW! More New Zealand Mudsnail Information Links Study prepared for The Nature Conservancy 2003 More updated news on the snail in Silver Creek as of March 2006. |