Zebra Mussels...Important!!

[MortgageMan]

As I posted earlier, we were helping the DWR this weekend at Strawberry by certifying boats to make sure that they were free of these invasive Zebra and Quagga Mussels. These mussels need to be taken seriously or our fisheries and reservoirs are going to get hammered by them. We need to educate one another so that we can keep these creatures from spreading any further.

Right now, it is very easy for boaters to lie and say that they have not been to Lake Mead, Havasu or any other infected lake in the last 30 days just so they can launch their boat. As boat owners, we need to police ourselves just as we do against poachers because these mussels can destroy the fish and ruin our lakes just as a poacher does big game animals. One adult mussel can lay over one million eggs each breeding cycle which the offspring can then breed and reproduce in as little as 4 months. They spread like wild fire.

Please make sure that you self certify your boat at every lake that you go to. The Utah DWR has people at most major ramps but they can't be everywhere. The DWR should have signs and papers at almost every lake by now too. Most of the people that we talked to this weekend at Strawberry had little or no knowledge about these mussels.

The response we received at Strawberry was awesome and every fishermen there was happy to ceritfy and make sure these mussels stay out of the lake. I think we got the info out there this weekend but would like to encourage all boaters to help do their part by educating one another.

There was a recent poll done at infected Lake Havasu (I believe) to see where boaters were headed next. Lake Powell was #1 or close to it. Pineview, Utah Lake, and many other smaller lakes in Utah were very high on the list. These mussels are knocking on Utah's door. With all of our help we can keep them out. I have no other reason to post this besides being a concerned boater.

By the way - decontamination is free at lakes besides Lake Powell ($50 I believe).

http://wildlife.utah.gov/news/07-03/quagga.php
http://www.100thmeridian.org/certificate.asp
Please watch - http://100thmeridian.org/Video/DMAM2008_WM.asp

 

[MortgageMan]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-22-08 AT 06:26PM (MST)[p]This includes you eel.....LOL

I know it's a boring thread but still worth posting.

 

[bobcatbess]

MM!!!

I AGREE!!!

WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PREVENT THE TRANSPLANTS!!!

BUT???

WHAT ABOUT INBOARD/OUTBOARDS/PUMPS ETC THAT TRAP THEM LITTLE CRITTERS BACK IN THERE WHERE YOU CAN GET EM OUT???

EDUCATE US A LITTLE MORE PLEASE???

THIS IS MY NEW GUN,YOU MAY NOT LIKE IT,YOU'LL LIKE IT A HELL OF A LOT LESS WHEN IT HITS ITS DESTINATION!!!

THE ONLY bobcat THAT KNOWS ALOT OF YOU HAVE HAD THIS IMAGE IN YOUR PEA BRAIN BUT DUE TO POOR SHOOTING TACTICS I'M STILL KICKIN!!!

 

[EdleBrock]

Being the engineerd I am I can't help but look for a logical solution.

Rather than trying to intercept each vessel that came from who knows where before launching seems an enourmous task.

How about providing a "flushing" station at the boat ramp of the infected bodies of water ? Upon exit from the lake, before you can leave area you've got to flush the hull and the bildge...maybe some sort of chemical flush to kill the little buggers.

To get 100% do it upon entrance and exit from the lake.

I da know, haven't had enough beer yet to come up with a really good solution.

Keep up the good work though.

Jim

 

[MortgageMan]

Bobcat -
The decontamination process flushes out all of the bilges, live wells, tanks, engine, etc. Its quite a process and on a normal boat (18-24') it takes about 20-30 minutes.

Jim -
I think the problem is that the infected lakes and states don't want to flip the bill to keep them out of Utah or other un-infected states. Plus each boat can take 20-30 minutes to flush (decontaminate) which would take you quite a while to get off the lake. The lower Colorado River is infected and there really isn't a reason to decontaminate every boat that comes in and out of those lakes that are already infected. According to the DWR these mussels have been on knocking on Minnesotas door step for almost 20 years. Minnesota does not have any infected waters besides the Mississippi River. There only approach is education and decontamination of boats coming from infected lakes or rivers. This is the same approach and model that Utah has taken.

They have decontamination stations at every major lake in Utah. Boaters are supposed to self certify before launching. There are signs at every major boat ramp. Every boat owner in Utah was mailed literature last year on these Mussels and the precautions that must be taken. There are billboards throughout the state educating the public as well. I can't speak about what other states are doing but I am sure it is fairly similar.




I stole this info below from the DWR's website but it is very informative.

http://wildlife.utah.gov/news/07-03/quagga.php
http://wildlife.utah.gov/news/08-06/fg_boater.php


The key is to clean, drain and dry your boat and any other equipment that touches the water:

Clean plants, fish, mussels and mud from your boat;

Drain the water from all areas of your boat and equipment;

Dry your boat and equipment in the sun before using it again.

In the summer, let it dry for at least 7 days in the sun. In the spring and fall, dry it for 18 days in the sun. In the winter, leave your equipment out for 3 days in the freezing temperatures. Leaving it out for 3 days should be enough to kill any mussels that are on your equipment.

You can also have a professional boat washer wash your boat and trailer, and flush your motor, bilge and live wells, with scalding hot water.

The water must be at least 140? Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, there are very few boat washers in Utah that have equipment that can heat water to 140? F. But the DWR does have 26 decontamination units that can heat water that to that temperature. Most of these units are located at Utah state parks that have a reservoir or a lake.

"Cleaning, draining and drying your boat and equipment is something all of us can do," says Larry Dalton, aquatic invasive species coordinator for the DWR.

"Drying your boat and equipment is just as effective as washing it with water that's 140? F."

 

[EdleBrock]

Thanks MM,

I guess not being directly involved in the process I didn't realize the extent of the operations already in place.

Looks like it's individual responsibility to police themselves. Too bad there will always be someone that trys to get by.

You're doing great work.

Jim