Date: 1/15/08
Contact: C. Doug Nielsen
Phone: (702) 486-5127, ext. 3500

QUAGGA SAGA CONTINUES

It was just one year ago that quagga mussels, an invasive species that originates in the Caspian Sea area of Eastern Europe, were discovered in the lower Colorado River system. Though the original discovery was made at Lake Mead, the diminutive mollusk has since been found in Lake Powell, Lake Mohave, Lake Havasu and Arizona’s Lake Pleasant – all significant waterways for recreational boaters.

Mussels have also been found in the Colorado River Aqueduct that supplies water to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District, the Central Arizona Project canal which carries water from Lake Havasu to Lake Pleasant just north of Phoenix, and in several Southern California waters.

“We will probably never know where the original Colorado River introduction occurred, or even when it happened, but by their widening distribution anyone can see that quagga mussels are easily transported from one body of water to another,” said Edwin Lyngar, boating education coordinator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Though they are not much bigger than a fingernail, quagga mussels and their cousin the zebra mussel, generally settle in massive colonies that block water intakes and disrupt power plant and other industrial operations dependent on water. This includes marine facilities like boat harbors and marinas where increased maintenance costs will be a given. Congressional researchers estimate that these mussels cost the power industry alone more than $3 billion from 1993 to 1999. Once these mussels are established, maintenance is perpetual.

Boaters won’t go unscathed. These mussels can also clog water intakes and other systems on recreational boats. If they colonize heavy enough on the hull, mussels can even affect a vessels performance in the water.

Biologically speaking, the mussels will bring a change to the Colorado River system, or to any other water where they become established, but no one will know what that change is until it happens. In areas of the Great Lakes, where the quagga mussel invasion began, biologists have observed significant changes in the ecosystem and in the fisheries.

In Nevada, quagga mussels have not yet been found outside of the Colorado River system, but that brings little comfort to fisheries biologists like NDOW’s Jon Sjoberg who is concerned that the mussels could be transported to other waters in the state. All it takes, he explained, is one boat that has not been properly cleaned after it has been used on a water where mussels are present to spread them between waters.

History has shown quagga mussels and their cousin the zebra mussel move between waters by hitching rides on boats, boat trailers and other equipment that spends time in the water. This includes canoes, float tubes, waders, swimming gear and even fishing line.

“Each and every boater should take individual responsibility for making sure their boats are thoroughly inspected and cleaned every time they have been used, regardless of the location. This will not only help prevent the spread of quagga mussels, but other invasive species that have made their way into our country’s waterways. They need to make sure their vessel is cleaned, drained and dried before launching it elsewhere,” Lyngar said.

When removing a boat from Lake Mead, or any other water, NDOW recommends that boaters do the following:

• Drain the water from your motor, live well, and bilge on land before leaving the immediate area of the lake.
  
  
• Flush the motor and bilges with hot, soapy water.
  
  
• Completely inspect your vessel and trailer, removing any visual mussels or plant matter. Also feel for any rough or gritty spots on the hull. These may be young mussels that can be difficult to see.
  
  
• Wash the hull, equipment, bilge and any other exposed surface with hot, soapy water.
  
  
• Clean and wash your trailer, truck or any other equipment that touches the lake water. Mussels can live in small pockets where water collects.
  
  
• Air-dry the boat and other equipment for at least five days before launching in any other waterway.
  
  
• Do not reuse bait once it has been exposed to infested waters.

Quagga mussels are biofoulers that obstruct pipes in municipal and industrial raw-water systems, requiring untold millions of dollars annually to treat. Each and every body of water that becomes infected with these creatures raises the financial costs and has serious impacts on native wildlife and the local ecosystem.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, and promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. NDOW’s wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen’s license and conservation fees and a federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear. Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license. For more information, visit www.ndow.org.