New West Virginia Invasive Species Said to be Pesky — and Tasty
Charleston Gazette Mail
20 September 2015
By Rick Steelhammer, Recreation Reporter
Chinese mystery snails, which get their name from their suddenly
appearing fully-developed young offspring, were first detected in
West Virginia in 2011 in Rockcliff Lake in Hardy County. Last
month the U.S. Forest Service announced it was considering
draining Rockcliff Lake this fall because of the invasive snail,
which has already established a sizable colony in the lake. Look
out, rock snot, zebra mussels and Asian carp! Another aquatic
invasive species with an exotic name — the Chinese mystery snail —
has begun to move into West Virginia’s waterways. If it has its
way, it could eventually establish large colonies at the bottoms
of certain reservoirs and slow-moving streams across the state.
The exotic snail has made its way across much of the nation since
it first entered the United States as a food item in a Chinese
market in San Francisco in the late 1880s, according to the U.S.
Geological Survey. Later, the snail was sold to aquarium owners
who wanted to make their fish tanks more visually appealing. It is
theorized that the snails were released into lakes and streams by
aquarium owners who had to empty their tanks and believed
releasing the snails into the wild was more humane than
euthanizing them. By 1914, the snails had been detected as far
east as Massachusetts, and now can be found in at least 30 states
from California to Maine.Chinese mystery snails were first
detected in West Virginia in 2011 in Rockcliff Lake in the George
Washington and Jefferson National Forests’ Trout Pond Recreation
Area in Hardy County, according to the Potomac Highlands
Cooperative Weed and Pest Management Area’s newsletter. Last
month, the U.S. Forest Service announced it was considering
draining Rockcliff Lake this fall “if time and budget allow, to
assess the feasibility of reducing the current population” of the
invasive snail, which has established a sizable colony in the
17-acre impoundment.
The lake draining concept would have taken place in conjunction
with a six-month temporary closure of the Trout Pond Recreation
Area’s campground, which began on Monday, during which new
bathhouses will be built and an upgraded water system will be
installed. But now the snail-killing scheme seems iffy, as more is
learned about the exotic snail’s ability to withstand prolonged
de-watering and other control methods.
The snail’s ability to close up its shell, unlike most native
snail species, allows it to survive prolonged dry spells and
protects it from introduced poisons, according to Katie Donahue,
district ranger for the Lee Ranger District.
“One study we’ve looked at shows that they can survive up to four
weeks without water, and another researcher found they could live
up to nine weeks,” she said. “By being able to close up their
shells, they can also survive chemical controls, which would kill
everything else in the lake. If we do draw down the lake, the most
we would be able to do would be to reduce the population. We
wouldn’t be able to eliminate them.”
While the exotic snails are considered fairly benign, “they
compete with native snails and can get so numerous that they can
block screens and intake pipes,” Donahue said. “There have been
reports that they can carry different diseases, but there’s no
indication of any health issues at Rockcliff Lake.”
Situated a few hundred yards from Rockcliff Lake is Trout Pond,
the state’s only natural lake. Formed by a blocked limestone
sinkhole, the two-acre pond contains no Chinese mystery snails,
perhaps because it has been devoid of water several months of each
year in recent years possibly because its natural boulder-formed
plug is leaking.
Donaue said she’s heard that Chinese mystery snails have also been
found in Kimsey Run Lake in Hardy County. According to U.S.
Geological Survey data, the exotic snail has also established a
presence at Stonecoal Lake in Upshur County.
According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the
snails get their name from the fact that during spring, they give
birth to young, fully developed juveniles that suddenly and
mysteriously appear, while most other snails lay eggs.
If it turns out fishery biologists find no good way to beat the
Chinese mystery snails, folks can always eat them. Recipes for the
critters are available from a number of online sources and are
included in Jackson Landers’ cookbook, “Eating Aliens: One Man’s
Adventure Hunting Invasive Animal Species.”
According to Landers, Chinese mystery snails “aren’t going to be
four-star cuisine, but after being tenderized, fried and served
with cocktail sauce, they’re quite good.”Reach Rick Steelhammer at
304-348-5169, rsteelhammer@wvgazette.com or follow @rsteelhammer
on Twitter.