New Zealand Mudsnails BEWARE!

For his Eagle Project, Ben has been working with the U.S. Forest Service and Trout Unlimited to help STOP the spread the New Zealand Mudsnails.  [*more info. on that below.]

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The New Zealand mud snail has no natural predators or parasites in the United States, and consequently has become an invasive species, endangering the food chain by outcompeting native snails and water insects for food, leading to sharp declines in the native populations.

Fish populations then suffer because the native snails and insects are their main food source.

The mud snails are impressively resilient. A snail can live for 24 hours without water. They can however survive for up to 50 days on a damp surface, giving them ample time to be transferred from one body of water to another on fishing gear. The snails may even survive passing through the digestive system of a fish.

Mud snails have now spread from Idaho to most western states of the U.S., including Wyoming, California, Oregon, and Montana. Environmental officials for these states have attempted to slow the spread of the snail by advising the public to keep an eye out for the snails, and bleach or heat any gear which may contain the mud snails. Rivers have also been temporarily closed to fishing to avoid anglers spreading the snails.