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| The History and Effects of Exotic Species in San Francisco Bay |
| San Francisco Bay Project, Water Resources Division |
| J. Thompson, F. Parchaso, A. Alpine, J. Cloern, B. Cole, O. Mace, J. Edmunds, J. Baylosis, S. Luoma, F. Nichols |
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| California may be next! |
| Invasion of the Zebra Mussel |
 Boats with Zebra Mussels have been stopped at the California border. If it invades San Francisco Bay, it will survive in the north bay and the rivers. The potential range is wide-spread (see map at left). The Zebra Mussel attaches to any hard surface and native fauna such as crayfish and clams and many die. |
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| Click on any photo to see larger images. |
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| Zebra Mussel |
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| Zebra Mussels attached to clam |
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| Zebra Mussels attached to crayfish |
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| Zebra Mussels by the thousands encrust equipment at Detroit Edison's Monroe generating station. |
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| Maintenance costs to remove Zebra Mussels from structures (like the gear pictured here) exceeded $17 million in 1995. |
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| Planktonic larvae allow Zebra Mussels to spread quickly and to settle in small places. They have clogged a three foot diameter pipe in less than three months. |
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| The Zebra Mussel was introduced into the Great Lakes in 1986 by ballast water. It has spread rapidly throughout the midwest, but not west of the Continental Divide or east of the Appalachian Mountains. |
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
