Quagga Mussels As Prey
In 1994, invasive species biologist Anthony Ricciardi determined that yellow perch did not find the invasive dreissenid species palatable. In 2004, he determined that yellow perch, over the intervening 10 years, had developed an appetite for the Quagga mussel. While sounding like good news, it is tempered with the knowledge that it introduces contaminants into the food chain, notably Clostridium botulinum.
Redear sunfish, a specialized mollusc-eating fish, are now being stocked in the Colorado River drainage as a defense against the quaggas. As with the yellow perch, this predator–prey relationship could cause toxins and microorganisms to move up the food chain.
Although quaggas are edible for humans, eating them is not recommended due to the accumulation of toxins, pollutants, and microorganisms within the mussels' bodies.
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