The Challenge

Aquatic Invasive Species are a growing, unabated environmental crisis. Invasive species threaten public health, conservation efforts, commerce and recreation; current technology has been ineffective and incapable of stopping their spread. 

Since the introduction of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) into the great lakes region in the 1980s, the spread of both zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) has resulted in substantial ecological and economic impact. An aggregated economic assessment of the impact of invasive mussel infestation in the Great Lakes reported a conservative estimate of over $100 million spent annually on mitigation efforts by water rights holders, utilities, state and federal government agencies, and fisheries. Industry is forced to utilize chemicals that are toxic to humans and the environment to control these invasive mussels in critical civil infrastructure. Currently, there is no treatment option available following infestation by quagga or zebra mussels that is functional at a relevant scale for the treatment of commercial water reservoirs without significant disruption of native species.

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The most prevalent method used for early detection is plankton net sampling. This method detects and/or quantifies mussel activity by identifying veliger content as a proxy for mussel population. As such, this methodology requires active spawning for detection, making early detection difficult without significant expansion of sampling effort. However, expansion of sampling effort to the extent necessary to achieve high detection probability is often not feasible due to staffing constraints. Furthermore, current environmental DNA analysis techniques used to verify and/or detect infestations provide largely qualitative information and cannot determine if a positive signal results from a living and active population or a dead and non-active population.