Can anything stop invasive golden mussels? A test project in Stockton may provide an answer

If you can’t beat ’em, control ’em.

That might be the best strategy for tackling the scourge of golden mussels that have quickly spread across the Delta and throughout California’s lakes and inland waterways, causing millions of dollars in damage.

Help may now be on the way for boat owners, farmers and water company managers eager for a solution to ward off the quickly propagating bivalves.

A Davis-based company is readying a test in Stockton of a biodegradable treatment that kills golden mussels without damaging surrounding aquatic wildlife.

The biobased product, Zequanox, is already being used on quagga and zebra mussels, two other invaders that have bedeviled the nation over the past few years.

Invasive Species Corp., the company that makes Zequanox, is working to seek approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for relabeling to include its effectiveness and safety in dealing with golden mussels, said Pam Marrone, the company’s executive chair and co-founder.

“We’re working as fast as we can to get the new formulation to the EPA,” Marrone said.

Zequanox uses a microorganism, a type of bacteria, that kills the offending mussels without injuring other surrounding aquatic life. It’s billed as a safer solution to stop the spread of mussels than copper-based products, which have been used on crops. Marrone, who is also an entomologist, said besides being biodegradable, Zequanox requires less treatment time.