Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

Zebra Mussels

blake

Life Member
hoofline.gif

From the IDNR:

Boat with Zebra Mussels Travels From Louisiana to Iowa

MORAVIA – There they were, unwanted stowaways clinging to the 1995 Silverton 362 36-foot cabin cruiser that was nearing the completion of its 940 mile journey from Lake Ponchartrain, La., to Lake Rathbun, on May 29. The boat had zebra mussels attached to the hull and was ready to be launched into Lake Rathbun but was stopped by its new owner after reading some information on the exotic invasive species placed in locations around the lake by the Iowa DNR and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The owner found what he thought were zebra mussels near the transom around the rudder and trim tabs. He stopped the boat from being launched and had a marina employee call the local DNR office. There were an estimated 30 to 40 mussels attached to the boat.

“I’m thankful that the owner is so cooperative and responsible that he checked his boat before launching it, and is going to the added expense to make sure the boat is cleaned of these things,” said Randy McPherren, conservation officer with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for Appanoose and Monroe counties. The boat was placed on dry dock to be inspected and prepped before launching into the lake.

The transportation company, Coast to Coast Auto Marine Transport, from Midland, N.C., received a citation for transporting zebra mussels on a vessel into Iowa, a simple misdemeanor. The current $100 fine increases to $500 on July 1. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is also investigating the incident.

Zebra mussels are native to the Caspian Sea region of Asia and were believed to be introduced from ballast water into Lake Erie in 1988. A single zebra mussel female can produce more than 30,000 eggs, and the generations mature rapidly. Large numbers of zebra mussels can filter all of the water in a lake or stream, removing tiny plants and animals that serve as food for larval fish, which in turn serve as food for larger fish. Dense growths of zebra mussels on breakwalls, locks and dams, control structures, and intakes for power plants and water treatment plants are causing concern.

An estimated 800,000 people visit Lake Rathbun each year for fishing, water skiing, boating and camping. Lake Rathbun provides drinking water to 60,000 people in southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri through the Rathbun Regional Water Association. The service area includes all or parts of Appanoose, Clark, Davis, Decatur, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Lee, Louisa, Marion, Monroe, Van Buren, Mahaska, Wapello, Warren, Washington and Wayne counties in Iowa and rural water districts in Putnam, Mercer and Schuyler counties in Missouri.

It has not been determined if zebra mussels have established a population in the lake as a result of being introduced by a previous boat in 2007. The Iowa DNR and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are monitoring areas around the lake looking for the presence of juvenile and adult zebra mussels. The impact to the lake is uncertain even if they do become established.

There are a few easy things boaters can do to protect Iowa water bodies.

Inspect your boat, trailer, and equipment and remove visible aquatic plants, animals, and mud before leaving a water access.

Drain water from bait buckets, livewell, bilge, transom, and motor before leaving a water access.

Dispose of unwanted live bait, including worms, into the trash. Never release plants, fish, or animals into a waterbody unless they came out of that waterbody.

Spray/wash your boat, trailer, and equipment with high pressure or hot water before going to other waters, OR dry everything for at least five days before going to other waters.

zebra_mussel.jpg


hoofline.gif
 
Top Bottom