Home → Fish & Wildlife → Fisheries → Aquatic Invasive Species → Zebra Mussels → Zebra Mussel Settling Plate Project
Zebra Mussel Settling Plate Project
Help ensure Maine's lakes stay healthy!
With the recent discovery of invasive zebra mussel infestations in the Saint John River on the shared Maine border with Canada, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is looking for volunteers to help with a project to monitor for potential spread. If you live on or commonly recreate on lakes in the state, you may be able to help!
Zebra mussel infestations can be easily monitored for with a tool called settling plates, where zebra mussels may attach once past their larval stage. Routine visual checks of these settling plates by volunteers will allow quick detection of any new zebra mussel infestation. These settling plates are a simple monitoring option that can be easily constructed with the use of supplies commonly found in hardware stores and deployed by anyone with access to a dock or other structure that can be utilized for tying the settling plate to. For the 2025 season, the Department has 100 settling plates that can be borrowed and maintained by volunteers for the season.
These settling plates should be deployed into the water body in May, inspected every two-three weeks for any potential zebra mussel attachment, and removed from the lake in October. More information on protocols for volunteers can be found in the Zebra Mussel Settling Plate Community Science Project Guide (PDF).
View Project Guide for Volunteers (PDF)
Some lakes are more vulnerable to zebra mussel establishment due to their natural water chemistry, so we are particularly interested in volunteers who may be able to deploy and monitor these settling plates in the lakes listed below.
If you live on a lake, are a member of a lake association, or a member of another group or business with an active interest in helping to preserve the health of a lake and would like to be involved, please fill out this form to express your interest and learn more about the settling plate project.
This settling plate project began in May of 2024 with volunteers willing to construct and purchase their own settling plates. With the availability of plates provided by the Department for the 2025 season and beyond, we are hopeful that participation will increase as we look to protect our waters and ensure our ability to respond rapidly to new infestations.
I am interested in volunteering!
For more information please email AIS.IFW@maine.gov.
Priority Waters
We are primarily looking for assistance in the provided list of waters. If you are interested in participating in this project on a water body outside of these lakes, you are encouraged to complete the form and provide the lake name and county. We will determine the necessity of this program on that water body based on the threat zebra mussels may pose there and prioritize our resources accordingly. Thank you for your interest.
| Waterbody | County |
|---|---|
| Basil Pond | Aroostook |
| Beau Lake | Aroostook |
| Big Indian Pond | Somerset |
| Black Lake | Aroostook |
| Bradbury Lake | Aroostook |
| Brooks Pond | Penobscot |
| Burnham Pond | Piscataquis |
| Butler Pond | Somerset |
| Carr Pond | Aroostook |
| Center Pond | Piscataquis |
| Chase Lake | Piscataquis |
| Cochrane Lake | Aroostook |
| Collins Pond | Cumberland |
| Conroy Lake | Aroostook |
| County Road Lake | Aroostook |
| Cross Lake | Aroostook |
| Crystal Pond | Androscoggin |
| Daigle Pond | Aroostook |
| Deboullie Pond | Aroostook |
| Denny Pond | Aroostook |
| Desolation Pond | Somerset |
| Dutton Pond | Kennebec |
| Echo Lake | Aroostook |
| Echo Lake | Piscataquis |
| Etna Pond | Penobscot |
| Ferguson Pond | Aroostook |
| First Pelletier Brook Lake | Aroostook |
| Fischer Lake | Aroostook |
| Galilee Pond | Aroostook |
| Gardner Pond | Aroostook |
| Garland Pond | Piscataquis |
| Garland Pond | Penobscot |
| George Pond | Penobscot |
| Glazier Lake | Aroostook |
| Gould Pond | Penobscot |
| Halfmoon Pond | Penobscot & Somerset line |
| Hammond Pond | Penobscot |
| Hanson Brook Lake | Aroostook |
| Harlow Pond | Piscataquis |
| Hermon Pond | Penobscot |
| Horseshoe Pond | Kennebec |
| Johnsons Pond | Kennebec |
| Lake Andrews | Androscoggin |
| Lilly Pond | Knox |
| Linscott Pond | Aroostook |
| Little Indian Pond | Somerset |
| Little Pillsbury Pond | Piscataquis |
| Little Purgatory Pond | Kennebec |
| Little Pushaw Pond | Penobscot |
| Little Reed Pond | Piscataquis |
| Little Sabattus Pond | Androscoggin |
| Long Lake | Aroostook |
| Lovejoy Pond | Kennebec |
| Manhanock Pond | Piscataquis |
| McGrath Pond | Kennebec |
| McLean Lake 1 | Aroostook |
| Millinocket Lake | Piscataquis |
| Mitchell Pond | Piscataquis |
| Monson Pond | Aroostook |
| Moose Pond | Kennebec |
| Morrill Pond | Somerset |
| Mower Pond | Penobscot |
| Mud Lake | Aroostook |
| Nickerson Lake | Aroostook |
| Pattee Pond | Kennebec |
| Pleasant Hill Pond | Cumberland |
| Pleasant Lake | Penobscot |
| Pleasant Lake | Aroostook |
| Big Pleasant Lake | Piscataquis |
| Plymouth Pond | Penobscot |
| Portage Lake | Aroostook |
| Puffers Pond | Penobscot |
| Pushineer Pond | Aroostook |
| Robinson Pond | Somerset |
| Round Pond | Aroostook |
| Saint Froid Lake | Aroostook |
| Sandy Bottom Pond | Androscoggin |
| Sebasticook Lake | Penobscot |
| Sibley Pond | Somerset |
| Silver Lake | Penobscot |
| Smith Pond | Somerset |
| Spaulding Lake | Aroostook |
| Spider Lake | Piscataquis |
| Square Lake | Aroostook |
| Taylor Pond | Androscoggin |
| Third Pelletier Brook Lake | Aroostook |
| Torrey Pond | Hancock |
| Trafton Lake | Aroostook |
| Tyler Pond | Kennebec |
| Unity Pond | Waldo |
| Wallagrass Lakes | Aroostook |
| Wassookeag Lake | Penobscot & Somerset line |
| Weymouth Pond | Penobscot & Somerset line |
| Whites Pond | Somerset |
| Winnegance Pond | Sagadahoc |
| Worthley Pond | Androscoggin |
Curious to learn more about invasive zebra mussels? Please visit the zebra mussel page.