DFG News Release

Lake Tahoe Invasive Mussel Inspection Training May 16;
K-9 Detection Demonstration

This is a joint news release from the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and the California Department of Fish and Game

The Tahoe Resource Conservation District and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency will train individuals May 16 to inspect watercraft for invasive Quagga and Zebra mussels. California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and Nevada Department of Wildlife staff will be on site later in the training to discuss the threat the non-native aquatic mollusks pose to state waters.

“We will use inspections to prevent the spread of Zebra and Quagga mussels and other species of concern to Lake Tahoe, as well as prevent the spread of existing aquatic invasive plants from Lake Tahoe to other surrounding lakes,” said Tahoe Resource Conservation District Director Nicole Cartwright.

“In California we have been promoting the need to ‘clean, drain and dry your boat’ - it’s good for your boat and critical to the environment,” said Susan Ellis, DFG Invasive Species Coordinator.

The training will be held at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 128 Market Street, Stateline Nev. from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Marina operators, boaters, agency staff, citizens and any other interested parties are encouraged to attend to learn how to prevent the spread of this invasive mussel.

Both mussels are non-native aquatic mollusks that wreak havoc on 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 Zebra and Quagga mussels. The Zebra mussels inhabit water depths from 4 to 180 feet, with Quagga reaching 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 and trailers thoroughly, remove all plants from the 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 and longer in cool, moist weather. These steps are designed to thwart the spread of the invasive mussels, safeguard boats and preserve fisheries.

In recent years, Quagga mussels infested Lake Mead, the Colorado River and several other water bodies in Nevada. In California, 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 of 2008.

For more information on the Quagga and Zebra mussel response, visit:

• www.tahoercd.or/AquaticInvasives.php
• www.dfg.ca.gov/invasives/quaggamussel
• www.ndow.org/boat/exotic/

Learn what boaters can do to stem the spread of invasive Quagga/Zebra mussels (PDF)