MOLLUSKS
Biologists Work to Learn Impacts of Lyngbya on Native Mussels by: Michael Fisk, Eastern Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Coordinator
A quatic Wildlife Diversity staff are working with NC State Univer- sity to determine the impacts of lyngbya and the treatment of lyngbya on native mussels. Lyngbya is a nox- ious, filamentous blue-green algae that forms dense mats along the bot- tom primarily in lakes and reservoirs. These mats persist all year long but can proliferate in the summer forming dense mats from the surface to the bottom. These mats become a nui- sance to lake front homeowners as they are visibly unappealing and can inhibit aquatic recreational activities. To help manage this nuisance species, the lyngbya is treated with algaecides. Lyngbya has dermatoxins and it’s also unclear how these dense mats alter water chemistry and affect benthic organisms like mussels. To better understand the interactions between lyngbya and mussels, the Commission is using propagated tidewater muck- ets, Atlanticoncha ochracea in areas with and without lyngbya as well as areas where lyngbya is being treated with algaecides. The mussels have been placed in cages and will be mon- itored throughout the summer to doc- ument growth and survival. These findings will help guide management of this noxious species.
Lyngbya topping out in Lake Gaston.
From left to right: Eastern Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Coordinator Michael Fisk with technicians Dorian Hayes and Laureen Riggins installing mussel cages for an experiment
67 2024 Wildlife Diversity Program Annual Report
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