Zebra mussels found in Cass Lake

CASS LAKE -- Zebra mussels have been found and confirmed in Cass Lake, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

A citizen discovered the zebra mussels earlier this week while collecting shells on the beach on the southeast corner of Cedar Island, according to a DNR release. The area is popular for people park their watercraft to swim and fish.

Three hollow (dead) zebra mussels of varying sizes (ages) were collected. The samples were given to a DNR creel clerk who submitted them to the DNR area fisheries office in Bemidji where they were verified to be zebra mussels.

Following the identification, DNR staff conducted a search on Cass Lake near the northwest and southeast points of Cedar Island. The crew inspected more than 200 items along 565 feet of shoreline and 2,500 square feet of lake habitat and found zebra mussels in a variety of sizes..