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New Tool Helps Fight Quagga Mussels
by Wildlife News, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, April 17, 2008
Utah has a new tool to help prevent quagga and zebra mussels
from entering the state—Senate Bill 238. Passed during the 2008 legislative
session, SB-238 gives Utah law enforcement officers and port-of-entry agents
the authority to stop, inspect and detain vehicles and boats that may contain a
quagga or zebra mussel. If this intervention is successful, it could save
Utahns millions of dollars each year.
New tool
SB-238 gives officers the authority to stop and detain
vehicles and boats that the officers have reasonable cause to believe might
have been used on an infested water or might be carrying quagga or zebra
mussels. That includes vehicles and boats that are traveling down roads,
entering or leaving parking lots, or anywhere the vehicle or boat might be.
Also, any boat that has been on an infected water must be
decontaminated before it enters Utah or is launched on any water in the state.
Devastating effects
The devastating effects quagga and zebra mussels could have
on Utah is the reason legislators passed the new law. Quagga mussels and their
cousins, zebra mussels, attach themselves to boat hulls, boat motors, water
system intakes and anything else that comes in contact with the water. Quagga
and zebra mussels are destructive to any lake they inhabit. From consuming
massive amounts of plankton, which is fish food, to fouling beaches and
plugging pumps, pipes and outboard motors, these tiny mussels take over any
water they enter.
"Fighting quagga and zebra mussels will not be
easy," says Larry Dalton, aquatic invasive species coordinator for the
Division of Wildlife Resources. "If a single breeding pair gets into a
water, that single pair can lead to a massive colony.
"It will take everyone's help and vigilance to keep
this tiny creature out of our lakes. Boaters and others who recreate on Utah's
waters need to change their habits."
Clean, drain and dry
Dalton encourages boaters, anglers and anyone who recreates
at Utah's waters to clean, drain and dry their boat and
any other equipment that touches the water. Specifically, he encourages boaters
and anglers to:
- 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 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, there
are very few boat washers in Utah that have equipment that can heat water to
140 degrees.
"Cleaning, draining and drying your boat and equipment
is something all of us can do," Dalton says. "Drying your boat and
equipment is just as effective as washing it with water that's 140
degrees."
Legislature provides $2 million
In addition to passing SB-238, the legislature authorized
more than $2 million to implement an aquatic invasive species program that the
DWR and its partners started in 2007. The $2 million will jumpstart the program
by allowing it to buy decontamination equipment, hire and train employees, and
develop informative materials.
For more information go to http://wildlife.utah.gov/news/08-04/quagga.php
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