Invasive freshwater mussel discovered in aquarium shop in Renton
Species found in a shipment of Marimo moss balls, which are commonly used to decorate aquariums and water gardens.
Invasive species pose a real threat to the local ecosystem, and in early August a particular mollusk was prevented from entering Washington waters.
On August 5, a Renton-based aquarium wholesaler notified the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) of an invasive species that had found its way onto a shipment of marimo moss balls, which are often used to decorate aquariums and water gardens.
An early detection team of aquatic invasive species monitoring American Lake in Lakewood was immediately dispatched to the company in Renton and determined that the invasive species was a zebra mussel, a freshwater mussel originally from lakes in Russia and Ukraine.
“I want to thank our industry partner for being vigilant and quickly alerting us to this incident,” said WDFW Director Kelly Susewind. “We are working quickly with industry, tribal, state and federal partners to remediate this incident. Thank you to all partners working together to keep Washington waters free of invasive species.”
According to WDFW, the team collected the visible adult mussels and the contaminated moss balls along with water samples for analysis.
Although neither zebra mussels nor their related quagga mussel are native to Washington state, they are a banned species because they can cause “significant damage to infrastructure and the environment,” including clogging pipes and mechanical systems of industrial facilities, utilities, locks and dams.
In a statement, WDFW said the cost of spreading invasive mussels in Washington is estimated to be more than $100 million per year due to the destructive damage the species would cause to Washington state’s power and water infrastructure, as well as additional ecological damage.
“We’re asking anyone who has purchased marimo moss balls from a retailer in the last year to examine the moss balls and take steps to rid their aquarium or water garden of invasive zebra mussels,” said Justin Bush, aquatic invasive species policy coordinator. “Anything that moves can carry invasive species. Problematic plant seeds can travel on your boots, aquatic animals can attach themselves to your boat or equipment, and harmful species can also hitchhike through commerce, as we’re seeing in this case.”
WDFW asks all Washington State residents who suspect that invasive mussels may be present in their aquarium to complete an online reporting form at invasivespecies.wa.gov/report-a-sighting, which includes the Washington Invasives app.
For more information, visit wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/invasive.
