An interesting by-product of the Nilsson archaeological survey, carried out by the WHS and Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association in 1998, was the opportunity to examine the process by which zebra mussels colonize a Great Lakes shipwreck site. Metal fittings were heavily encrusted with the organisms, the ship's wooden structure less heavily. The mussels have strongly adhered in these areas and could only be removed with careful scraping.

The mussels apparently favor the wreck's many curved and angular surfaces, including the edges of timbers and planks, perhaps because they offer a greater surface area for colonization than flat surfaces. Patches of mussels cover the more open sections of wooden hull structure.