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Glacier Park Closes Boating After Invasive Mussels Found In Montana

Fisheries biologists checking for adult invasive mussels.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Fisheries Biologists checking for adult mussels.

WEST GLACIER, Mont. (AP) — Glacier National Park officials have temporarily closed boating on park lakes as a precautionary response to the discovery of larvae from invasive mussels in Montana waters for the first time.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said Wednesday that no adult mussels have been found in Tiber Reservoir in north-central Montana.

Glacier Superintendent Jeff Mow says park scientists will work with the state to understand the scope of the threat and how best to protect park waters. The park has had a mandatory boat inspection program in 2011 to reduce the risk of invasive mussels.

Quagga and zebra mussels can clog water pipes and they eat microscopic organisms that fish rely on for food. Initial tests found invasive mussel larvae in Canyon Ferry Reservoir near Helena, but further testing is needed to confirm their presence.

© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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