Zebra mussels have been found in another Minnesota lake -- the fifth this year and the first in the Red River watershed in northwestern Minnesota.
The invasive species was found in Pelican Lake, a nearly 4,000-acre body of water north of Pelican Rapids in Otter Tail County. The finding is especially troublesome because the popular lake is connected to other lakes and could lead to the spread of zebra mussels as far as the Red River.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources biologists searched the lake and found both adult and young zebra mussels, suggesting that they have been in Pelican for more than a year. First discovered in Minnesota in the Duluth harbor in 1989, zebra mussels now infest about 32 state lakes and rivers.
The DNR will designate Pelican Lake and nearby portions of the Pelican River as zebra mussel-infested waters, which makes it illegal to transport water or harvest bait. It's also illegal to transport zebra mussels or aquatic plants from infested waters. Boat inspections, which have been conducted for several years, will continue.
DOUG SMITH
