South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks confirms mussels discovered in Blue Dog Lake

Elisa Sand, Aberdeen News
·3 min read

Zebra mussels have been discovered in yet another South Dakota Lake, this time in Day County.

The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks has confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in Blue Dog Lake in Day County.

"Two adult zebra mussels were found by a local family on their dock over the Labor Day weekend," said Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Tanner Davis in a GFP news release. "GFP Fisheries staff investigated and found an additional mussel on a rock in the water by the dock and another mussel on a neighboring dock."

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As a result, Blue Dog Lake is now considered infested with zebra mussels, per the release.

It's the 11th South Dakota body of water in which zebra mussels have been found, according to SD Least Wanted, a site managed by GFP.

Zebra mussels have also been found in Lake Cochrane, Enemy Swim Lake, Lake Kampeska, Lake Francis Case, Lake Yankton, Lewis and Clark Lake, McCook Lake, the Missouri River below Gavins Point Dam, Pactola Reservoir and Pickerel Lake.

Zebra mussels were first discovered in South Dakota in 2015 in the Lewis and Clark Reservoir.

They are small, snail-like mollusks that reproduce rapidly and pose economic and environmental threats. They damage surface water infrastructure, drinking water and irrigation systems as well as hydroelectric and industrial cooling systems.

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"Fall is upon us, but practicing 'clean, drain, dry' is still critical for everyone enjoying the fall bite, waterfowl hunting or some fun on the water," Davis said in the release.

Boaters and anglers should:

  • Clean watercraft and trailers of all aquatic plants and mud.

  • Drain all water by removing all drains, plugs, bailers or valves that retain water. Be sure to completely drain your lower unit of any water by lowering it completely.

  • Dry all equipment that has made contact with the water before its next use.

Completely draining and drying a boat are the first steps in making sure invasive species are not transferred to other waters. It is important to note that invasive Zebra/Quagga mussels can survive up to 30 days out of water.

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Fall is a good time to start looking at submersed equipment such as boat docks, boat lifts and hard substrate like as rocks and woody debris for zebra mussels, according to the GFP. Zebra mussels can vary in size, depending on age. Newly formed mussels can be as microscopic as grains of sandpaper, while adults can grow to 2 inches in length. GFP encourages boaters to feel along their watercraft below the waterline for any roughness that may indicate that newly formed mussels.

For more information about or to report zebra mussels other aquatic invasive species, visit sdleastwanted.sd.gov. Report findings on the Citizen Monitoring page or email tanner.davis@state.sd.us.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Zebra mussels discovered in Blue Dog Lake in Day County