09/15/08 Keeping quagga out before it gets in

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture wants to keep the Quagga mussel out of the state. FERRITER "The organism themselves were introduced through ballast water from the Ukraine region into the Great Lakes in the late 1980's. ISDA Invasive Species Coordinator Amy Ferriter says the Quagga mussel is a danger to the environment, agriculture and wildlife. FERRITER "It wasn't discovered in the West until January of '07 and that was in Lake Mead. Just in the last 15 months the species has expanded into Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and California." Adult Quagga mussels are about the size of a fingernail, but they attach themselves to hard and soft surfaces, fouling freshwater ecosystems and clogging intake pipes that draw water from infested water bodies. There are also free swimming microscopic size Quagga mussels. To prevent Quagga mussels and also zebra mussels from establishing in Idaho Ferriter is asking us to be on the lookout along all waterways and if you see them contact the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. State agencies have been trained to detect Quagga mussels and to decontaminate watercraft. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott