In a blow to state fisheries that some saw as inevitable, zebra mussels have been found in Cass Lake, a popular fishing and boating destination and one of the state's largest lakes.

The find was reported to state Department of Natural Resources officials by a beachgoer who had been picking shells earlier this week along Cedar Island, one of five islands in the lake.

The suspected mussels were tested and verified at a DNR fisheries office in Bemidji. The find marks the first time that adult zebra mussels have been found in the Bemidji area.