I wonder if anyone in the Great Lakes area is up on this possibility - check this article out from practical fishkeeping:
Trojan horse pill could kill mussels
Scientists have developed a tiny pill that can kill the Zebra mussel, an invasive species that's threatening native species and damaging the environment.
A team of scientists working at Cambridge University have produced a so-called "trojan horse" pill or "biobullet" which can be administered to waterways infested by the non-native freshwater Zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha.
The tiny "pills" are microcapsules laced with potassium chloride and are taken in through the filter-feeding mechanism of the mussels and release the chemical, which slowly kills the mussel. The microcapsules are harmless to other organisms. continue... (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=830)
Sounds great... Any word on if they are gonna put em to use?
I like zebra mussels. They cute and cudly, and they taste great. Plus, they clear up the water nicely.
PoorBoy himself :-\'
Whew! Made me nervous when I saw PoorBoy attracted to this topic (I was not surprised either ;D).
I'm going to bring this up when I meet with the MDNR fisheries management team this month or next to see if they are aware of this and get their impression.
I know these things often seem like a love-hate situation. Just like milfoil that can make the bass fishing a lot better on some lakes, but I guess it ends up falling under the "Too Much of a 'Good' Thing" category...
Haven't they kind of worked their way to being part of the natural ecosystem. They are not as prevelant as they once were, is it really worth using chemical treatments.
-Matt
I wonder how safe it really is - i.e. has it been tested thoroughly since in different conditions and environments. I don't recall hearing of it before.
I have heard over the past couple of years that zebra mussels are going down in numbers. In some places, they don't know why. Possibly in Lake Erie, it might be the sort of new and more aggressive quagga mussel outcompeting them.
I wouldn't suggest using something like this pill treatment unless it was proven safe and was actually necessary. It would probably be more useful as a spot treatment for real problem areas like around water intakes.
I can't complain about the zebras too much, they have cleared up the water in all my favorite lakes really well! :)
I can't complain rather applaud the zebra mussels for the clear water, it really is amazing how quickly the lakes changed.
Not sure about the long term consequences though..
How can they be sure the Trojan pill will only kill the zebra mussel? that always worries me with stuff like this.