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Is hydrilla a friend or foe? The answer depends on whom you ask.
Hydrilla, a non-native species of aquatic plant that has spread to Mosquito Lake, continues to be a bone of contention between bass anglers, recreational boaters and biologists. Bass anglers love hydrilla. Many recreational boaters loathe it. Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife is tasked with managing it.
Under a program initiated several years ago, authorities have been treating portions of Mosquito Lake with fluridone, a pelletized herbicide said to be effective in interfering with hydrilla's photosynthesis.
Prior to the start of fluridone treatment, hydrilla and eurasian milfoil, both invasive plant species, had become established in Mosquito Lake. The plants are known to spread by fragmentation - bits and pieces of the plants can be transported to new water by birds, boat trailers, bilges and outboard motor propellers.
Anglers, particularly those who target largemouth bass, hailed the arrival of hydrilla and milfoil, which grew in lush spreads in Mosquito. The bass fishing skyrocketed, propelling Mosquito to national recognition as one of America's better bass lakes.
But hydrilla is considered a major headache for water utilities, industry, boaters, swimmers, skiers and others. Authorities feared that if hydrilla were allowed to thrive in Mosquito, there would be no stopping the northward advancement of the invasive plant toward Lake Erie.
"The management program is pretty straightforward," said Curt Wagner of Ohio Division of Wildlife. "We drop pellets that treat small areas of the lake."
Anthony Casey, the aquatic invasive species coordinator at Cleveland MetroParks, said fluridone pellets have been dropped in 303 acres of Mosquito Lake, or approximately 5%. He noted the herbicide stays in the vicinity of where it is applied in an effort to disrupt the photosynthesis process.
Casey said hydrilla is a big threat to native plant species because it can outcompete them for growing space. Hydrilla is native to waters in Africa and Asia and is believed to have entered U.S. waterways via the aquarium trade.
He said the dosage of fluridone used to treat Mosquito Lake is at a level that enables native plants to resist its negative effects, and native plants seem to be benefiting as hydrilla is reduced.
"I was at Mosquito recently and observed 12 native plant species in the campgrounds cove," Casey said.
Four anglers I contacted this week reported the weeds they have observed are usually in relatively shallow water. They have seen extensive spreads of American lotus, the large lily pad fields that provide overhead cover for shallow-water fish. One angler noted a lot of native coontail and eel grass fields.
Some anglers blame the hydrilla management program for a decline in bass fishing, but the authorities note that water turbidity, water temperature and cloudy weather also can reduce aquatic grass growth. A particularly good plant, curly-leaf pondweed, for example, does well in spring and early summer, but does not thrive when the water temperature exceeds 76 degrees.
"The rhetoric of us eliminating all of the plants at Mosquito is false," said ODOW's Wagner. "Even if we had the money, it would be impossible to eradicate hydrilla."
Casey said he would rather not be running a fluridone program.
"But we must manage the hydrilla to create sustainable waterways. Letting hydrilla go unfettered is not an option. It creates a lot of problems," he said.
Jack Wollitz writes weekly about fishing topics for readers of the Tribune Chronicle and Vindicator. Contact him at jackbbaass@gmail.com.