Itasca Water Wisdom Webinar

November 6, 2025 – Mystery Snail Impacts on Lake Ecosystems

https://itascawaters.org/water-wisdom-2025

Register Here:

Presented By: Sarah Kingsbury, is the senior aquatic invasive species biologist for Fisheries and Oceans Canada working in Nova Scotia, Canada. She specializes in freshwater non-indigenous species but has multiple projects in marine ecosystems too. She likes working with data and is familiar with ecosystem-based and species habitat suitability modeling. Sarah also works with eDNA and genomics, screening-level risk assessments, climate matching, and framework development. Mainly, she likes to work on projects that contribute to aquatic invasive species management. She completed her MSc thesis at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, NS, studying the Chinese mystery snail ( Cipangopaludina chinensis ).

Topic Summary: Non-indigenous freshwater species can negatively impact invaded ecosystems ecologically, socially, and economically; and sometimes the smallest of organisms can have surprising impacts. This presentation will focus on invasive mystery snail impacts to continental North America and will include information on three invasive mystery snails: Chinese mystery snails, Japanese mystery snails, and banded mystery snails. We will also explore potential mechanisms for continued mystery snail dispersal and what can be done to stop the spread.