5-26 IAN Zebra and Quagga

 Thanks to efforts made last year by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, Idaho’s state waterways are still free of the invasive species called Zebra mussels and quagga mussels. ISDA’s Pam Juker says that last year they did their homework: “We did over 18,000 boat inspections last year, there were 2-3 boats that crossed through inspection sites that were infested and we were able to decontaminate those before they were ever launched in any Idaho waterbody so we feel last year was a success.” She says boaters should expect inspections this year!

Zebra mussels and quagga mussels are invasive species. They are European in origin and range in size from microscopic to the size of a fingernail, depending on the life stage. They are prolific breeders and attach themselves to hard and soft surfaces, fouling freshwater ecosystems and clogging intake pipes that draw water from infested waterbodies. They cause significant maintenance challenges for raw-water systems, requiring millions of dollars annually to treat.  Although populations have been widespread in the Great Lakes for almost two decades, these mussels were found for the first time west of the Continental Divide in the past three years, specifically in regions of Nevada, California, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. The state is seeking the public’s help to prevent the introduction of this invasive species. Boats are the primary transporters of zebra mussels and quagga mussels.