Whether you raft, kayak, fish or swim in Western waters, you can make sure quagga mussels — and other aquatic invasives — don’t travel with you. Here’s how.
Before leaving any body of water:
- Inspect your boat, trailer, clothing and any other wet gear for plants, fish or animals, and remove them on site.
- Wash off mud and dirt, which can carry tiny mussel larvae.
- Clean people and equipment — and don’t forget the dog!
- Eliminate all water from all equipment, including motors live wells, boat hulls, scuba regulators, bait buckets and boots.
- Clean your equipment with salt water or hot water (above 104 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Dip gear that can’t be exposed to hot water in vinegar for 20 minutes, or soak it in a salt solution for 24 hours (see protectyourwaters.net for recipes).
- Don’t dump unused bait in the water.
Before launching into new waters, allow equipment to dry. Five days of drying is ideal.
Source: protectyourwaters.net
This story is a sidebar to the feature:
Wish You Weren’t Here – Quagga mussels – an extraordinarily prolific and costly invasive species – have appeared in Lake Mead, and no one is sure how to keep these unwanted newcomers from infesting the West.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Don’t move a mussel.
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