On Monday, Oct. 3rd, Wyoming Game and & Fish Department (WGFD) released a public statement regarding the identification of New Zealand mudsnails in Alsop Lake.
On Aug. 28, Laramie resident and avid snorkeler, Jenny Loveridge, observed “tiny snails covering vegetation in the lake” to WFGD after one of her snorkeling outings, said in the WGFD’s article.
A United States Geological Survey (USGS) online publication states that the New Zealand mudsnail was first reported in the U.S. in the Snake River, Idaho in 1987. Since then, it has spread all throughout the western U.S. and into British Columbia.
Populations of New Zealand mudsnail can boast numbers of up to 300,000 snails per square meter. On top of that, the full extent to which they are able to affect an aquatic ecosystem is still unknown.
USGS species impact records show that invasive mudsnail populations are responsible for decline in populations of native macroinvertebrates all around the world.
“What we’re concerned with is the potential for mudsnails to disrupt the lower levels of the food web,” said Caroline Rosinski, the Laramie region public information specialist for the Wyoming Game & Fish Department (WGFD)
Rosinski explained that New Zealand mudsnails are capable of “potentially out competing some of our native snails and invertebrates,” which would lead to the overconsumption of aquatic vegetation within the lake.
In addition, they have a tendency to become a low-quality, primary food source to aquatic predators due to their typically high population density.
“It’s actually possible for a trout to eat a mudsnail, for the mudsnail to go through the entire digestive system, and not die,” Rosinski added.
With their micro sizing and their ability to easily cling to objects, recreationists are believed to unknowingly cause the spread and introduction of invasive New Zealand mudsnail populations in some cases.
To prevent the spread of New Zealand mudsnails, WGFD asks “that recreationists do not ‘lake hop’ from Alsop to other systems,” in an attempt to keep the mudsnails from spreading through equipment.
“The potential for them spreading from Alsop to other plains lakes is high, but at this point we don’t have any records that they are already in any of the other lakes,” said Rosinski.
Rosinski also noted “We have many different aquatic invasive species that we’re trying to protect against in Wyoming – the big ones are zebra and quagga mussels.”
“Something we are trying to make clear to people is these are not zebra or quagga mussels. This is a different thing we’re talking about.”
Other aquatic invasive species, like the zebra and quagga mussels, pose threats throughout the state. It’s important to note that the New Zealand mudsnails are entirely separate, and pose threats in much different ways.
For information on how to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species through your equipment, visit the WGFD website.
