It seems like the area has a new invasive species to worry about. Just when local anglers are getting used to reeling in the occasional snakehead from the Potomac, the AP, via WTOP, is reporting that a local diver has discovered zebra mussels in the watery depths of a Haymarket quarry. Virginia officials have confirmed the presence of the destructive mollusks, whose presence came as a complete surprise.

“I was only down 10 feet, and I just got bug-eyed. I saw this wall just covered with them,” [fisheries department biologist John] Odenkir said. “The zebra mussel to me is the snakehead (fish) of the mollusk world.”

Zebra mussels invaded the Great Lakes from the Caspian Sea and tend to clog water intake pipes and like to cling to just about any stable surface in fresh water. Virginia officials are considering different options to control the zebra mussels. Apparently “you can freeze them, dry them or electrocute them.”