Door County Pulse: Action Against Great Lakes Invasive Mussels

The Joint U.S.-Canadian Committee of Advisors to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission unanimously passed a resolution supporting the Save the Great Lakes Fish Act of 2025 on June 3. 

The act calls on the U.S. Congress to pass legislation asking the Commission to launch a coordinated effort to find a control solution that could be deployed to combat invasive zebra and quagga mussels throughout the Great Lakes basin. 

The resolution highlights the severe ecological and economic impacts invasive mussels have had on the Great Lakes over the past three decades. Advisors note that zebra and quagga mussels, introduced through ballast water from ocean-going vessels in the late 1980s, have dramatically altered the food web, reduced populations of key forage organisms, increased water clarity by eliminating vital microorganisms, damaged infrastructure and contributed to avian botulism outbreaks that have killed tens of thousands of birds. Advisors contend that, despite decades of research, no effective large-scale control strategy currently exists for invasive mussels and that a coordinated research initiative is urgently needed. 

The Save the Great Lakes Fish Act, introduced by Michigan representatives Debbie Dingell (D) and Tim Walberg (R) in November 2025, would authorize $50 million annually for 10 years for the Commission to coordinate research and partnerships to develop effective invasive mussel control technologies. The legislation also directs federal agencies to coordinate their efforts with the Commission, building on the Commission’s successful history of coordinating sea lamprey control efforts across the basin.