Zebra Mussels

[Swimjim]

I get up to Door county shore diving probably a half dozen times a year and I do shore diving in lake Michigan near my home.  I have been watching Gobi's the last few years and find them to be an interesting critter.  They do appear to eat zebra mussels.  I have seen them spitting out empty shells.  Two years ago while diving the Fleetwing, I took a new diver out to the deeper piece of wreckage.  As we swam out to it, I noticed that there had been a population explosion with the goby, they carpeted the bottom.  We settled down and laid on the bottom and were as motionless as possible.  The Gobi's came out to observe us.  They made a nice little ring around us and we had sort of a Mexican stand off.  Anyway, fast forward one year.  I was diving Porcupine Bay.  There were tons of empty shells, but only a goby here and there.  On the other hand, at any given moment your could see about a dozen small mouth bass and everytime they came near the Gobi's, the Gobi's would vanish.  I made a nice video out of it. 
     This progression leads me to believe that the zebra and the Gobi's are working their way into the food chain.  Mother nature is making adjustments for another one of our screw ups.  I think it's likely we will always have Gobi's,zebra and now quaga mussels.  I also believe that to attempt to do anything about it will further damage the environment. 
     The only invasive that really concerns me is the snakehead.  Lord, not if, but when those fish hit Lake Michigan, what will they do?  In a much larger environment will they grow enormous and start trying to eat divers?  Apparently they kill everything else.  Dang.

Jim