3 Utah PetSmart Locations Halt Fish Sales Out Of Concern For Zebra Mussels - ksltv.com

3 Utah PetSmart Locations Halt Fish Sales Out Of Concern For Zebra Mussels - ksltv.com

3 Utah PetSmart Locations Halt Fish Sales Out Of Concern For Zebra Mussels - ksltv.com

Posted: 15 Apr 2021 06:14 PM PDT

AMERICAN FORK, Utah – Fish sales have been paused at three PetSmart locations along the Wasatch Front due to a suspicion of invasive zebra mussels.

The company confirmed that the PetSmart location in American Fork was one of the impacted stores but did not give a location for the other two stores.

The current threat has been traced to aquarium Marimo moss balls contaminated with zebra mussels that were shipped to Petco and PetSmart locations in early March.

"We continue to follow guidance from regulatory agencies closely, and where there is suspicion of potential zebra mussels, out of an abundance of caution, we suspend fish sales to ensure our aquariums can be treated properly. This is the case for a few of the stores in the Salt Lake City area," said a statement released by the company.

Zebra mussels and their cousin, quagga mussels, and can have devastating impacts on ecosystems and water infrastructure.

"When we first learned of the situation, we immediately instructed our stores to remove impacted moss balls from our shelves and destroy them," the statement said. "We also proactively contacted customers to provide information and resources about responsible disposal."

PetSmart said it expects to resume fish sales at the affected stores within the next week.

The company issued a product withdrawal notice on March 6, advising customers with the impacted moss balls to bring it back to a PetSmart location for a refund and so that the moss balls could be disposed of properly.

"Zebra mussels are regarded as one of the most destructive invasive species in North America," PetSmart's voluntary product withdrawal notice said. "They can quickly take over once they get established in a waterbody and cause significant damage including disrupting the food chain, changing the chemistry of the water and clogging water intake and delivery systems."

Those customers who can't return the moss balls to a store have been instructed to follow instructions from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on how to kill the zebra mussels and clean aquariums.

According to the website, there are three ways to destroy the infected moss balls:

  • Freeze: Place the moss ball into a sealable plastic bag and freeze for at least 24 hours.
  • Boil: Place the moss ball in boiling water for at least 1 full minute.
  • Bleach/Vinegar: Submerge the moss ball in regular, unscented bleach, diluted to 1/3 cup per gallon of water, for 10 minutes; or undiluted white vinegar for 20 minutes.

After the treatment, the wildlife service instructs to put the moss ball and any of the original packing in a sealed plastic bag and dispose of it in the trash.

"Moss balls or untreated water should not be disposed of in any location where they could reach local waterways," said the instructions from U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

Lt. Bruce Johnson monitors for aquatic invasive species for Utah's Division of Wildlife resources.

"We did have pet stores across the state of Utah that were in possession of containers with moss balls and zebra mussels," Johnson said.

He went to the American Fork PetSmart on Thursday and said he didn't see any signs of zebra mussels in the tanks. Johnson said he plans to follow up with the store manager.

The concern at the American Fork location is that any invasive species put down the drain would reach nearby Utah Lake, Johnson said. The only body of water currently infested with invasive mussels is Lake Powell and wildlife officials have been working since 2013 to keep the mussels from spreading.

"We've concentrated and focused our efforts on what were the obvious vectors for zebra and quagga mussels, which were the boats that were traveling to and from, and now we've found a new vector that we're addressing," Johnson said about the moss balls shipped to pet stores.

Tropical Clawed Frogs could be threat to local freshwater ecosystems - NBC2 News

Posted: 15 Apr 2021 03:05 PM PDT

LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Experts are worried Tropical Clawed Frogs could be a huge threat to local freshwater ecosystems.

Tropical Clawed Frogs are amphibians from West Africa, that have been spotted in the Tampa Bay area. 

The specific species is a relative of the African Clawed Frog, which is a common sight in local aquarium pet shops.

At the pet shop Hooked on Fish Freshwater Aquatics in North Fort Myers, the owners said they'll take back any fish that's grown too big for its tank. It's just one way they try to keep customers from turning their pets loose when they can't take care of them, a practice that's created a problem in Florida when it comes to tropical aquarium fish. 

"If you cant house your fish anymore, instead of releasing it into the wild, bring it into us, we'll take over and put it in one of our big tanks, as you can see we have big ones here and can put anything in them," said Brandi Torres, owner of Hooked on Fish Freshwater Aquatics 

That problem comes when fish or other animals get introduced to an ecosystem they might not be native to but perfectly adapted for.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission worries there might be a newcomer to local waterways after a breeding population of West African Tropical Clawed Frogs was found near Tampa. 

"But there are some of these sites where the populations are incredibly dense," said Colin Goodman, a Researcher at the University of Florida who identified them. "We are talking hundreds, of thousands of individuals."

The frogs discovered are one of a few species of frogs that are commonplace in aquarium pet shops, like the African Clawed Frog, which are amphibians, but live their entire lives underwater. 

"This is the first time that a non-native population of tropical clawed frogs has been documented," said Dr. Andrew Durso from Florida Gulf Coast University. "All the other ones are African Clawed Frogs. They eat other amphibians, as well as fish and invertebrates, its even thought they can spread a deadly kind of fungus." 

Now if you spot one of these in your pond, FWC said they want to know about it but sending the tip to  http://www.ivegot1.org.

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