Quagga Mussels

[Locke]

Well Quagga mussels have invaded my local waterhole - Lake Pleasant outside of Phoenix, AZ. I did a search on this forum and found no information on them but I'm sure some of you have experience with the effects. From what I've found they adhere to just about anything so you need to pull your boat on occasion and spray them off. Also I'm familiar with the requirement when you trailer your boat and put it in an unaffected lake so you don?t spread the problem but I haven?t heard if they cause internal engine/outdrive problems.

Any experienced Quagga folk here?

Locke

 

[joed]

Re: Quagga Mussels

Quagga and zebra mussles are almost the same thing. Same effect. Any info you find on Zebra mussles will apply to quaggas.

Here is a USGS page on the issues.

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/taxgroup/mollusks/zebramussel/

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Quagga Mussels

here's link as to what to do. i don't think i would leave my boat in the water for longer than a weekend. then washdown, they say saltwater to kill it. and a good flushing of the water.

Government link http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/zebra_mussels.shtml

 

[QC]

Re: Quagga Mussels

Do divers routinely scrape these things off of hulls where they are fully entrenched? What do boats that are slipped do? We've got them at Powell, Mead, Mohave and Havasu now too . . . Mid-summer last year was the first sighting.

 

[Locke]

Re: Quagga Mussels

A lot of people have boats slipped in water that has these critters, all the Great Lakes, Mead, etc. Anybody out there have personal experience?

 

[AguaSki]

Re: Quagga Mussels

I also boat at Lake Pleasant. From what I have read, these mussel can be responsible for millions of offspring in a single year. After one year imagine a million mussels each having their own million offspring. This leads to exponential growth in the body of water that is invaded. Each mussel will filter about a liter of water per day. While the water starts to look nice and clear, the impact is devastating to marine life. Once the mussel entrenches itself in a body of water, it is virtually impossible to eradicate it. I trailer my boat, so I don't have mechanical concerns, but I would be concerned if I was in a slip at Pleasant.

I also understand a local urban lake in Scottsdale has been invaded by these mussels. Because the mussels can be spread in the live wells and bilge's of trailer boaters, I think it is a matter of time before the rest of AZ's lakes have been invaded. Even if most trailer boaters are careful to properly clean their boat, there will always be the clueless idiot that will not take the necessary precautions to protect our lakes. We have a problem, and I don't think there is anything that can be done to stop it. The best we can do is learn how to maintain boats in the new mussel environment.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Quagga Mussels

Don't forget to flush your engine's cooling system thoroughly after each use in an infected lake. We have the same problem here in Louisiana with several non-native aquatic plants, including water hyacinth, giant salvinia, hydrilla and others. It has gotten so bad that many areas are literally impassable in warm water months.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Quagga Mussels

Florida has an aggressive hydrilla program to control it. we had lakes total taken over about 20 years ago.

 

[m&m252]

Re: Quagga Mussels

okay i am not a lake boater what are these things any one have pics or a specific sit to view ....

 

[m&m252]

Re: Quagga Mussels

never mind wife walked in looked over my shoulder ,googled it , nasty looking looks like it can do damage...

 

[azhunt/fish]

Re: Quagga Mussels

I also boat at Lake Pleasant. From what I have read, these mussel can be responsible for millions of offspring in a single year. After one year imagine a million mussels each having their own million offspring. This leads to exponential growth in the body of water that is invaded. Each mussel will filter about a liter of water per day. While the water starts to look nice and clear, the impact is devastating to marine life. Once the mussel entrenches itself in a body of water, it is virtually impossible to eradicate it. I trailer my boat, so I don't have mechanical concerns, but I would be concerned if I was in a slip at Pleasant.

I also understand a local urban lake in Scottsdale has been invaded by these mussels. Because the mussels can be spread in the live wells and bilge's of trailer boaters, I think it is a matter of time before the rest of AZ's lakes have been invaded. Even if most trailer boaters are careful to properly clean their boat, there will always be the clueless idiot that will not take the necessary precautions to protect our lakes. We have a problem, and I don't think there is anything that can be done to stop it. The best we can do is learn how to maintain boats in the new mussel environment.

My first time on this network people so please be somewhat patience with me on the quagga mussels . I have read alot about these critters , but with no on hands dealings . I have read/learned alot just like anyone else could by logging onto ,
azgfd.gov/h_f/hunting . Locate the fishing report/s and you can go from there .
good luck - azfish/hunt

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Quagga Mussels

A lot of people have boats slipped in water that has these critters, all the Great Lakes, Mead, etc. Anybody out there have personal experience?

yes i have.

follow all the decontamination rules, run boat out and get on plane for five minutes or so each week and no problem.(they have to go threw a life cycle and into adult stage before-when they attach. up to this point they need a fairly stable environment.
they have to have time to attach and grow in your water intakes ect before they can become a problem. the boats i see at mead with them are the dock queens that are never moved. i mean never ever.
i havent had any problems and routeinly move up and down the colorado river system. trust me when i tell you, my boats have been gone over with a fine tooth comb when we leave mead and enter powell or flaming gorge
one thing they did do at powell this season. they hook up there boiler to your fresh water intake and run the motor briefly with 150* water. 140* kills them, this just makes sure they aren't in the intake where they couldn't be spotted

as an added precondition i use a garden type weed spray pump and pump 50/50 clorox and water into all threw hulls after i pull and dump a cup of clorox and a gallon of water in bilge day before i''m going pull, to and let slosh around--not required and way over the limit on concentration that will destroy them. makes me feel like its insurance i'm not moving them. rule of thumb- they cant tolerate freezing temps and hot weather out of water kills them. faster the hotter it is. generally speaking 30 days out of the water is accepted as a reasonable quarantine time and equipment is considered safe

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Quagga Mussels

Do divers routinely scrape these things off of hulls where they are fully entrenched? What do boats that are slipped do? We've got them at Powell, Mead, Mohave and Havasu now too . . . Mid-summer last year was the first sighting.

so far all reports at powell have turned out false negative for dna and they have yet to find a reproducing colony on powell

mead mohave and havasu-----you are 100% CORRECT

if you slip on mead and pull your boat. it is by law to have a inspection. if any are found, hot water de-coned and reinspected till none are found. then you are issued a mussel free certification sheet, which you will need to show at next lake you visit, for said boat and can legally leave park-recreation area

 

[SangerTom]

Re: Quagga Mussels

Wasn't sure what you meant by 100% correct? Mohave has them?

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Quagga Mussels

yes they are in mohave

 

[QC]

Re: Quagga Mussels

Was an old thread, and my questions were a while ago, but I'm still confused about what is done for slipped boats that stay slipped. What procedures and maintenance is done to keep all water passages, thru-hulls, drives, and hulls themselves clean?

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Quagga Mussels

qc; if you run your boat and don't let them attach you don't have to worry as much. they do clam bottom paint helps-- not in threw hull ect.

mostly use your boat. also more peeps are using hydro lifts.
bottom line they need time to grow out of the infant stage(there is a name for that-villager or something) so if you move and use your boat the cant attach. they cant swim or move in the water, they have to drift with the current and have to attach to what ever they contact. unless that object is pretty stable they have a hard time growing on to it. once they are able to mature and become fully attached game over then--
tough to get rid of.
once a few adult attach it give the villigar enough shelter that have a place to hide-grow and can spread like wild fire and grow out.
thats the way it was explained to me any way