Faucet snails, which have been linked to waterfowl deaths at Lake Winnibigoshish, have been found in the Mississippi River downstream of the lake located about 20 miles east of Bemidji, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
The snails have been found in parts of the Mississippi River, Leech River and Little Winnibigoshish Lake. Those areas will be designated as infested waters.
The infested waters designation will include the Mississippi River downstream of the Lake Winnibigoshish Dam in Cass and Itasca counties, including Little Winnibigoshish Lake, to just below White Oak Lake. It will also include the Leech River downstream of the Mud Lake Dam in Cass County.
Before leaving a water access on the river or lake and traveling on a public road, anyone boating, angling, canoeing or waterfowl hunting must:
Drain all water from bilges, livewells and bait containers. Faucet snails are hosts to parasitic trematodes, an intestinal parasite believed to have contributed to the deaths of tens of thousands of diving ducks such as scaup and coots on Lake Winnie in the past three years and the last six years on the Mississippi River near Winona. Anglers can eat fish from these lakes and rivers without worry of the trematode.
