Department of Fish and Game to Inspect Watercraft for Quagga/Zebra Mussels May 22-23 on I-5 North near Redding

May 13, 2008. Vehicles trailering watercraft north on Interstate 5 near Redding May 22-23 will be stopped for mandatory Quagga and Zebra mussel inspections from 2-8 p.m. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) will inspect all watercraft at the California Highway Patrol Cottonwood Inspection Facility (truck scales) in Tehama County to help prevent the spread of the invasive mollusks.

“Quagga and Zebra mussels have the potential to devastate our waterways,” said Capt. Sherry Howell in DFG’s Law Enforcement Division. “Because boats are the primary transporters of these mussels, we intend to defer every vehicle with watercraft through the scales for inspection. Our goal is to process watercraft as quickly as possible, but as thoroughly as possible.”

Upon entrance to the scales, DFG Game Wardens will ask vessel owners a series of questions about their watercraft. Vessels found to be clean will be released and allowed back onto the Interstate; boaters with suspect vessels will be inspected onsite by trained biologists and specially trained detection dogs. “Dirty” vessels - those that have not been cleaned, drained and dried - will also be inspected and could be quarantined.

California law makes it illegal to possess or transport Quagga or Zebra mussels and gives DFG authority to stop, detain, search and quarantine boats suspected or determined to be contaminated with mussels.

Boats are the primary transporters of Quagga and Zebra mussels. Zebra mussels inhabit water depths from four to 180 feet, while Quagga can reach depths more than 400 feet. Both mollusks can attach to and damage boat trailers, cooling systems, boat hulls and steering equipment. Mussels attached to watercraft or trailers can be transported and spread to other water bodies. Water in boat engines, bilges, live wells and buckets can carry mussel larvae (called veligers) to other water bodies as well.

To help prevent the spread of the mussels, boaters should inspect all exposed surfaces, wash boat hulls thoroughly, remove all plants from boat and trailer, drain all water, including lower outboard units, clean and dry livewells and bait buckets and dispose baitfish in the trash.

Most importantly, watercraft should be dried for at least five days between launches in different fresh bodies of water, even longer in cool, moist weather. These steps are designed to thwart spread of the invasive mussels, safeguard boats and preserve high quality fisheries.

Quagga mussels were first detected in the Colorado River system in January 2007 and were later found in San Diego and Riverside counties by state and local water agencies. Zebra mussels were discovered in San Justo Reservoir in San Benito County in January 2008.

A multi-agency taskforce that includes DFG, the Department of Water Resources, the Department of Boating and Waterways, and California State Parks is currently working to determine the extent of the Quagga threat and educate watercraft users. As part of the public education effort, the state has facilitated nearly a dozen Quagga/Zebra inspection and decontamination trainings for more than 350 individuals in San Diego, Redding, Fresno, Stockton, Monterey, Los Alamitos, Onatrio, Lake County, Sacramento and Yountville. Additional training sessions are expected in other regions later this year.

The taskforce has distributed more than 1.75 million information cards and 1.2 million letters to registered boaters and other water users around the state about the Quagga and Zebra mussel threat.

A public toll-free number hotline has been established for boaters and anyone involved with activities on lakes and rivers seeking information on the invasive and destructive Quagga mussels at 1-866-440-9530. The toll-free number is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information on the Quagga/Zebra mussel response, please visit the DFG Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/invasives/quaggamussel.

To learn what boaters can do to stem the spread of the invasive Quagga mussel, please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/invasives/quaggamussel/docs/quagga_boaters.pdf.