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GAO-24-105960 1 (2023-11-06)

handle is hein.gao/gaopix0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Why This Matters Harmful non-native aquatic plants and animals, known as aquatic invasive species, can pose a significant threat to infrastructure, such as hydroelectric dams, and the environment. Quagga mussels and zebra mussels (see fig. 1) in particular are species of great concern in the U.S. because of their costly and destructive effects on infrastructure and the environment, including native species. These mussels can deplete the food source for certain fish and, in turn, the species that prey on those fish, creating an adverse domino effect in the food chain. Figure 1: Zebra Mussels Colonizing the Surface of a Clam Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. I GAO-24-105960 Quagga and zebra mussels have spread rapidly across the country since they were first discovered in the Great Lakes in the late 1980s.1 These mussels are now present in every major river basin in the U.S. except the Columbia River Basin in the northwest, according to officials in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), which is responsible for controlling and managing the spread of aquatic invasive species in the navigable waters it manages. The mussels typically are spread by recreational watercraft such as boats, canoes, and Jet Skis that have been in infested waters. They can also be spread by commercial watercraft such as barges. Once established in a water body, the mussels are extremely difficult to eradicate because they have no natural predators in the U.S. and reproduce rapidly. According to state officials, these mussels can attach to surfaces in about 30 days and colonize in little more than a year. Page 1 GAO-24-1 05960 Corps Watercraft Inspection Program Page 1 GAO-24-105960 Corps Watercraft Inspection Program

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