Georgia wildlife officials are urging boaters to be vigilant about an invasive species known as zebra mussels. GPB’s Emily Jones reports.

a woman cleans invasive zebra mussels off a boat

Georgia wildlife officials were able to remove zebra mussels from a boat before they could invade Lake Lanier

Credit: Georgia DNR

Georgia wildlife officials are urging boaters to be vigilant about an invasive species known as zebra mussels.

The state just had a near-miss with the small, striped mussels: After bringing a boat to Lake Lanier from another state, someone noticed zebra mussels clinging to it and called the Department of Natural Resources. The invasive mollusks were identified and workers got rid of them.

Wildlife biologist Jim Page said that was really lucky.

“These are species known to the clog intake pipes for a lot of industrial facilities, which can cost power companies and other facilities a lot of money to try to correct,” he said.

The mussels also cling to boat propellers and get stuck in motors, and they compete with local mussels and fish for food.

As far as state officials know, Georgia has managed to keep zebra mussels out so far. To keep it that way, Page said to thoroughly clean boats between uses and call DNR if you see anything odd.

Learn more about invasive and nuisance species, including how to report them, here.

Tags: Georgia  Department of Natural Resources  lake lanier  wildlife  invasive species  Atlanta  Macon  Savannah