A new report shows New Zealand mud snails are now in Carter Lake. Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced it identified the invasive species this week.
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The tiny dark-shelled snails can only grow to about a quarter of an inch, but they can wreak havoc on an ecosystem. Once they’re introduced to a body of water, like the popular reservoir in Larimer County, they can quickly eat up nutrients that other plants and animals, like fish and birds, rely on.
“They are a threat to other aquatic life in Colorado because they, one, are not native to Colorado, and two, because they do sap a lot of nutrients from the ecosystem and outcompete other aquatic life,” says Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for CPW.
According to wildlife experts, the snails hurt populations of mayflies and other go-to foods for fish. At the same time, if a fish eats a mud snail, it is not a viable food source, as their hard shell protects it through a fish’s digestive system.
Once they’re found in a place like Carter Lake, the snails’ population quickly grows. That’s because the animal reproduces asexually, essentially cloning itself. So one mud snail can quickly turn into thousands.
Much like Zebra mussels and other aquatic nuisance species, this isn’t the first case of the invasive species being found in Colorado waters. In fact, New Zealand mud snails have already been reported in places like Chatfield Reservoir. They’ve also been found in Boulder Creek for more than 20 years.
What can be done?
Removing the mud snails is essentially not an option, as it would take years of work.
“It would take Herculean efforts to remove them from a waterway, like draining the water, years' worth of treatment, and all of that,” said Van Hoose. “So it's best just to kind of contain the spread and then prevent it from spreading further.”
The effort is instead focused on stopping the spread. But this is up to people who use the water for recreation to follow the rules. CPW points out that their job is to educate the public, but it comes down to individuals doing their part.
“You really have to be sure that you're taking those extra steps, and it's not something that we can do for you at CPW with like your kayak or your paddleboard,” said Van Hoose. “You really have to take it upon yourself and take some accountability to help us stop the spread of aquatic nuisance species.”
CPW says when you’re in the water, you need to be a “Pain in the ANS (Aquatic Nuisance Species).” To do so, be sure to clean, drain and dry every piece of gear that goes in the water. That includes paddleboards, kayaks, fishing gear, inner tubes, and just about anything else.
