Waging War Against the Zebra Mussel 411 prefers zebra mussels but will nonselectively consume bait, fish, and inverte brates. As a consequence, the goby can destroy fishing stocks and out-compete native species for food Another alternative is the use of mechanical or chemical strategies to control the zebra mussel population. For mild to moderate infestation, the following strategies are effective Mechanical cleaning of pipes and surfaces exposed to water, followed by coating these surfaces with foul release coating. This coating contains envi ronmentally sound antifouling polymers such as silicones and Huorochem- icals, which create a slippery surface making it difficult for zebra mussels to Installing simple mechanical filtration systems requires periodic mainte nance but effectively prevents zebra mussels from clogging Severe infestation requires more aggressive and environmentally abrasive strategies to control the zebra mussel population. Both of the following strate gies are more expensive than the two methods discussed above and have more extensive environmental impacts Thermal treatment is the discharge of heated water into the lake system The water temperature can be raised rapidly (acute treatment)or slowly for an extended period of time(chronic treatment). In either case, 100-percent of the zebra mussels can be killed. however this method kills most other aquatic organisms as well An equally effective method is treating the lake with chemicals. There are two viable options in this approach. The first is using chlorinated com pounds, which in a short duration will kill the entire zebra mussel popula tion, as well as many other aquatic organisms and even birds. The drawback of this approach is the production of carcinogenic by-products that may re- nain in the environment for an extended period of time. a better alternative to chlorinated compounds is potassium permanganate. This chemical must be applied at larger concentrations for a longer period of time to kill mussels (including native species)without harming other organisms With any environmental problem, a balance has to be reached between the needs of the community and the effects on the environment. The communit will have to weigh carefully the problems caused by the zebra mussels with both the economic and environmental costs associated with each method of removal References Baker, P.,S. Baker, and R Mann. 1993. Criteria for predicting zebra mussel invasion in the mid-Atlantic Region. School of Marine Science, virginia Institute of marine scienceWaging War Against the Zebra Mussel 411 prefers zebra mussels but will nonselectively consume bait, fish, and inverte￾brates. As a consequence, the goby can destroy fishing stocks and out-compete native species for food. Another alternative is the use of mechanical or chemical strategies to control the zebra mussel population. For mild to moderate infestation, the following strategies are effective: • Mechanical cleaning of pipes and surfaces exposed to water, followed by coating these surfaces with foul release coating. This coating contains envi￾ronmentally sound antifouling polymers such as silicones and fluorochem￾icals, which create a slippery surface making it difficult for zebra mussels to attach. • Installing simple mechanical filtration systems requires periodic mainte￾nance but effectively prevents zebra mussels from clogging intake pipes. Severe infestation requires more aggressive and environmentally abrasive strategies to control the zebra mussel population. Both of the following strate￾gies are more expensive than the two methods discussed above and have more extensive environmental impacts. • Thermal treatment is the discharge of heated water into the lake system. The water temperature can be raised rapidly (acute treatment) or slowly for an extended period of time (chronic treatment). In either case, 100-percent of the zebra mussels can be killed. However, this method kills most other aquatic organisms as well. • An equally effective method is treating the lake with chemicals. There are two viable options in this approach. The first is using chlorinated com￾pounds, which in a short duration will kill the entire zebra mussel popula￾tion, as well as many other aquatic organisms and even birds. The drawback of this approach is the production of carcinogenic by-products that may re￾main in the environment for an extended period of time. A better alternative to chlorinated compounds is potassium permanganate. This chemical must be applied at larger concentrations for a longer period of time to kill mussels (including native species) without harming other organisms. With any environmental problem, a balance has to be reached between the needs of the community and the effects on the environment. The community will have to weigh carefully the problems caused by the zebra mussels with both the economic and environmental costs associated with each method of removal. References Baker, P., S. Baker, and R. Mann. 1993. Criteria for predicting zebra mussel invasion in the mid-Atlantic Region. School of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science