Frontrangeanglers.com - New Info on Mud Snails

At only 2-to-5 millimeters in length, the mud snails are difficult to contain once they have invaded an aquatic ecosystem, and are so small they cannot be skimmed from waters. The snails can cling to birds and other wildlife, and are spread by human and domestic pet activities, including hiking and fishing. If that's not bad enough, they are self producing: it only takes one New Zealand mud snail to start a new colony in a stream or river. They can survive several days out of water and can withstand a wide range of temperatures.

These invasive pests were recently discovered in Boulder Creek and are feared to be in other Colorado watersheds.

The bottom line is that anglers who fish in mud snail invested rivers found throughout the western states need to disinfect their gear.


New Info on Mud Snails
	Preliminary results from a study conducted by the California Department of Fish and Game in conjunction with the US Wildlife Service indicate that a 50% solution of 409 cleaner will kill mud snails on fishing gear within 5 minutes. Note, your gear needs to be completely submerged for this to work effectively. Although barely larger than a grain of sand, mud snails can rapidly reproduce and reach densities of 500,000 per square yard. As such, they are a huge drain on a river's ecosystem and out-compete aquatic insects for the available nutrients. The net result is a severe decline in the fish population.
At only 2-to-5 millimeters in length, the mud snails are difficult to contain once they have invaded an aquatic ecosystem, and are so small they cannot be skimmed from waters. The snails can cling to birds and other wildlife, and are spread by human and domestic pet activities, including hiking and fishing. If that's not bad enough, they are self producing: it only takes one New Zealand mud snail to start a new colony in a stream or river. They can survive several days out of water and can withstand a wide range of temperatures. These invasive pests were recently discovered in Boulder Creek and are feared to be in other Colorado watersheds. The bottom line is that anglers who fish in mud snail invested rivers found throughout the western states need to disinfect their gear.