Seriously, that’s the title you used? :rofl
Taking out the Asian Clam before it takes over Lake George
LAKE GEORGE--Monday was the beginning, of what many hope is the end, to the Asian Clam's visit in Lake George. A handful of the mollusks were likely dumped there three years ago and now they cover 5 acres of the lake's bottom. "Here in Lake George we identified that the clams were introduced early enough--we have the potential to eradicate them," explains lead researcher Sandra Nierzwicki-Bauer of RPI's Darrin Fresh Water Institute. The Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea) quickly grows from microscopic organism to nickel sized and reproduces two times a year. A single clam puts out between 2,000 and 8,000 offspring that create an algae that dramatically alters water quality. "Once the water temperatures rise they begin to reproduce for the season and we will have more clams and they will spread," adds Nierzwicki-Bauer. In order to kill them, researchers have to attach weighted mats to the infected floor of the lake and cover the beds entirely. The 50x7 PVC covers are supposed to suffocate the clams. "The clams will come out of the sediment as oxygen levels get lower and die at the surface," says Peter Bauer of The Fund for Lake George. Researchers assigned to the project consider the system benign; meaning it will have little impact on the other aquatic species that live in Lake George. But it's the impact, outside the water, that will be most significant, claim supporters. "Lake George is the single most economic asset of Warren County...this is an investment in protecting that important asset," maintains Bauer. The mats will be removed in July and the process might have to be repeated next fall. Each treatment costs $400,000.