DFG News Release

Quagga/Zebra Inspection and Decontamination Training Offered at Don Pedro

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announces a joint Quagga/zebra mussel vessel inspection and decontamination training Apr. 22 in La Grange. The training, just one of nearly a dozen the DFG has co-sponsored across the state since the mussels were first detected in California in January 2007, will be held at the Don Pedro Recreation Agency Visitor Center from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

“The Department of Fish and Game is committed to providing local agencies with as much support as possible in the battle to protect California’s waters from Quagga mussels,” said DFG Acting Director John McCamman. “Training in inspection and decontamination techniques gives local authorities tools and knowledge needed to prevent the spread of the mussels.”

DFG hopes that the training will encourage more discussion about the threat of invasive mussels as public education is the key to preventing their spread.

The training, put on collaboratively with staff at the Don Pedro Reservoir, is open to water districts and authorities, state agencies, and marina operators, specifically those in Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced River watersheds. There is no charge for the workshop, but attendees must register by April 18 by emailing donpedrolake@tid.org or by calling (209) 852-2396, ext 11.

Training attendees will learn from DFG staff about how and where to look for Quagga and Zebra mussels on watercraft. Those who complete the training session will be certified to inspect and clean boats as they come into waters under their jurisdiction.

In addition to hands on inspection and decontamination demonstrations, attendees will also see a demonstration by the DFG Warden K-9 Unit, which has dogs trained to detect Quagga and Zebra mussels. Six dogs have already been staged in Placer, Lake, Amador, Alpine, El Dorado, Alameda, San Joaquin, and Eastern Fresno counties. Six more are scheduled to graduate from the K-9 academy at the end of April.

Over the last 15 months, more than 300 individuals in the San Diego, Redding, Fresno, Stockton, Monterey, Los Alamitos, Onatrio, Lake County, Sacramento and Yountville areas have been trained by DFG to properly inspect vessels for Quagga mussels. Additional training sessions are expected to be scheduled in other regions of the state later this year.

In addition to helping to facilitate training sessions, DFG, along with the Department of Boating and Waterways, the Department of Water Resources, and California State Parks, 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.

Quagga mussels were first detected out west 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 last January.

Both species of mussel are non-native aquatic mollusks that wreak havoc with the environment by disrupting the natural food chain and releasing toxins that affect other aquatic species. Although they range in size from microscopic to the size of a fingernail, they are prolific and attach themselves to hard and soft surfaces.

Boats are the primary transporters of Quagga and Zebra mussels. Zebra mussels inhabit water depths from 4 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 (veligers) to other water bodies as well.

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

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