New Brunswick·New
Researchers scoured 81 sites along the St. John River last year and found 22 adult zebra mussels. The invasive species remains on scientists’ radar due to its ability to spread rapidly, take over other species and damage infrastructure.
Majority of zebra mussels discovered in 2025 were latched onto Mactaquac Dam
Katelin Belliveau · CBC News
· Posted: Mar 07, 2026 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago
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This zebra mussel was one of 19 pulled off the Mactaquac Dam by Meghann Bruce’s research team during last year’s survey of the St. John River. (Submitted by Meghann Bruce)
The 22 zebra mussels found along the St. John River last year suggest levels of the invasive shellfish in New Brunswick’s longest river are likely still manageable — for now.
That’s according to a researcher leading the fight to keep them out of waterways before they multiply too quickly to prevent them from taking over docks, dams and drainage pipes.
“We’re catching this very early,” said Meghann Bruce, research scientist with the Canadian Rivers Institute. “We started monitoring…as soon as we knew they were connected to the system.”
Zebra mussels are small shellfish that get their name from the zig-zag pattern on their shell.
This story was brought to Nouzie by RSS. The original post can be found on https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/zebra-mussels-survey-mactaquac-dam-nb-power-9.7114067?cmp=rss
