The D-N-R has found larvae of invasive zebra mussels in Leech Lake, the third-largest lake in Minnesota, at locations 17 miles apart. Area Fisheries Supervisor Doug Schultz says it’s not surprising because there are infestations nearby in Cass Lake and Lake Winnibigoshish. Schultz says, “It’s people moving equipment around from one infested water to another, and not following through on proper draining and drying techniques.”
Schultz says if adult zebra mussels are in Leech Lake as suspected, there’s nothing they can do to control further spread. He says zebra mussel populations will increase exponentially until the food supply limit is reached — and it’s unknown at this point whether it could damage fish populations in the lake.