A coalition of agencies and groups in the Great Lakes region has released a plan for developing solutions to problems caused by invasive mussels.
The strategy is intended to guide investments, policies and research into zebra and quagga mussels. The mussels arrived in the lakes in the 1980s and have spread across much of the nation.
They've done billions of dollars' worth of damage by disrupting aquatic food webs, degrading fish habitat and clogging water intake pipes.
Great Lakes Commission John Linc Stine says more effective tools are needed to eradicate the mussels.
The strategy sets goals to guide development of methods to restore damaged ecosystems.
Members of the Invasive Mussel Collaborative include federal, state, provincial and tribal agencies as well as private stakeholder groups and research institutions.
