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Muscling up: Agencies battle to keep mussels out of Lake Tahoe

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 26, 2008 at 6:11 am

From the Nevada Appeal, part 2 in a 4-part series on invasive mussels & Lake Tahoe:

A $1.3 million battle to keep invasive mussels out of Lake Tahoe’s waters is being waged by local, state and federal agencies. It officially began May 16, when 13 inspectors were sent out to different public and private boat launches around the lake to conduct boat checks when owners approve.

On Wednesday, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board will consider an amendment that subjects all boats to mandatory inspection. If the board passes that measure, all boats will be required to be inspected if asked, or face a $5,000 fine if they choose to launch without complying with an inspection. If inspectors are not available, boaters can launch without a boat inspection.

These inspections are the first line of defense against the devastating mussels infiltrating Lake Tahoe.

The inspections are a joint effort between several agencies. Thirteen inspectors and two dogs will be conducting the inspections:

The inspectors will be stationed at all public and some private launch points on the lake and will ask boaters questions about their recent boating habits to determine if a further inspection is needed. “We’ll be asking questions like ‘where has your boat been?’ or ‘how long has it been out of the water?’” said Nicole Cartwright, a conservation planner for the invasive species program for the TRCD. “We’ll also be educating them about the risks.”

Inspectors will also occasionally be using dogs trained to smell out mussels. There are 12 dogs stationed in California by the state Department of Fish and Game and two of them will be in the Tahoe area, department spokeswoman Alexia Retallack said.

While the inspectors will have no enforcement capabilities, they hope to keep the lake safe from aquatic species, Cartwright said. If inspectors do find a mussel on a vessel, they will notify local law enforcement if a boater refuses to cooperate, said Dennis Zabaglo, senior environmental specialist and watercraft program manager for TRPA.

But Zabaglo and others say they hope a public outreach campaign will educate boaters about the danger of mussels, and encourage them to comply with the rules. “We are relying heavily on the public’s want and desire to keep these mussels out,” he said.

Read the full text in this article from the Nevada Appeal by clicking here.

May 26, 2008 · Filed Under Invasive Species

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