Thursday October 17, 2024
KIVI —
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture is about halfway done with the two-week treatment process for the infestation of invasive Quagga Mussels in the Snake River.
These efforts are critical to maintain the overall health of the ecosystem and to prevent billions of dollars in potential damage.
But, one downside of using these chemicals to kill Quagga, it also impacts fish.
“It’s a chelated copper product called ‘Natrix’, it’s labeled specifically for this kind of use in flowing water as a molluscicide for Quagga and Zebra Mussels and it can be toxic to fish. Last year we saw some species of fish were more impacted than others,” said Lloyd Knight, Deputy Director for the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.
The fish species that saw the biggest impact were Carp and Sucker Fish, as well as a significant impact on the Sturgeon population.