California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

[Hashi]

There was a earlier thread on quagga (zebra) mussels that is now invading our California Lakes! Please read this article from the Chronicle. I hope all California boaters take responsibility to clean and flush their boats before entering and leaving lakes.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/25/BAFGUL768.DTL&hw=quagga&sn=001&sc=1000

 

[tommays]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

With there tiny size about the only 100% safe way is




"Wait five days between launches into different freshwater bodies of water."





Tommays

 

[QC]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

It's too late Might as well figure out if we can eat 'em . . .

 

[mike176]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

runnin in salt water now and then may help.

 

[fishntoss]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

Sounds like a few of the lakes are now doing inspections and making you fill out some kind of questionaire before you go out.
Lake Casitas was talking about closing except to people that store their boats there. I think that has been re-thunk tho. I hope so as it's the closest lake to me and Castaic is a little too pricey.

 

[Nos4r2]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

It's too late Might as well figure out if we can eat 'em . . .

Nope. They filter everything out of the water that passes through them so they are very good at retaining mercury and other toxins...

 

[Hashi]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

My concern would be that Fish and Game will quarantine some lakes from boating if we don't do our part to mitigate the potential for an outbreak.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

I don't understand why no one has designed an eco-friendly wastewater treatment facility that incorporates these mussels. I would love to get my hands on some of those mussels... I could at least put in a septic system that used them...

 

[erikgreen]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

Welcome to the sadness of invasive species.

In the great lakes, they're arriving at the rate of one species every six months now.

The zebra mussels are the most noticeable, and while they do clean the water they also encrust anything in it... like shipwrecks. The main reason I love diving in the lakes is that the wrecks are clean... nothing but algae on them. Not now.. Superior is still pretty free of junk, but it's coming.

Our latest invader to get press is a type of shrimp.. blood red color, nocturnal, and only about 1 cm long (not edible). The big problem with them is going to be that they eat the same things as fish fry do. In the near term they're predicting a big jump in fish population/size due to the shrimp being around to eat.. followed by a major crash as the newborn fish fry starve to death, and the shrimp take over.

It's getting to the point that boat ramps are gonna have to supply a disinfecting washdown for boats leaving the lake. Plus we need to ban ballast water exchanges in the lakes for seagoing vessels... which I gather was the intent of the law that's causing issues for small boats with regard to water discharges now.

Erik

 

[blues]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

we
now have the zebra mussle in lake havasu-there was a news story in las vegas review journal,. they are,. someone,. government agency, working some sort of bacteria, that is aimed at this mussle,that is the only sign of hope I have heard of,.
it would great if the cat fish found them tasty?

 

[5150abf]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

Give it up, I live in Northern Indiana and 5 years ago I couldn't have told you what one looked like, now they are EVERYWHERE, I was amazed at how fast they took over.
You pull up your fishing line and there is a big clump of them, the get on your ancor...., they suck.
There are ways to keep them contained but all it takes is 1 guy that doesn't do it and then that lake is infested too, it is sad.

 

[Hashi]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

It is sad. We all need to do our part in assuring we don't spread these pesky critters. There was a follow-up article to this with additional tips in making sure we boaters take responsibility so we don't infestate other bodies of water. Look up Zebra Mussels at sfgate.com.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

Anyone know where I could get some live samples of them around the East TN area? I'd like to put some in a tank and test their usefulness at processing various waste products. These may end up being very useful little creatures.

 

[CoachPotato]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

I fished Camanche Lake near Stockton, Ca this week. My boat was inspected and I had to fill out a bureaucratic form. The gal who took our money at the gate also inspected the boat. We passed.

Another fella told me that his anchor rode was wet and there was a bit of water in his bilge when he tried to fish Camanche. He was refused admittance, and simply fished another near-by lake that wasn't quite so alarmed.

If the mussels are as invasive as we're hearing, checking boats and hassling everyone with a boat isn't going to stop them. Like seeds of Bermuda grass, they may even arrive via birds. Hopefully they'll go the way of the diabolical mitten crab. They came, they multiplied, they collapsed. Haven't seen nor heard of one in years. Hopefully.

Dale

 

[Hashi]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

How long was the form? I can see the lines queuing and causing a traffic jam and waiting hours just to launch. I didn't think of a wet rope or water in the bilge. I'll make sure all storage compartments, ropes, bilge, etc. are dry before heading out. Maybe I'll carry extra ropes in a dry compartment so I can switch off and a sponge to remove any standing water. Man, this is going to be frustrating.

 

[CoachPotato]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

How long was the form? I can see the lines queuing and causing a traffic jam and waiting hours just to launch. I didn't think of a wet rope or water in the bilge. I'll make sure all storage compartments, ropes, bilge, etc. are dry before heading out. Maybe I'll carry extra ropes in a dry compartment so I can switch off and a sponge to remove any standing water. Man, this is going to be frustrating.

The form was one page, half for the owner to complete, the other half for the "inspector". They inquire about where you've been with the boat, how long since last use, etc. The gal at the gate was complaining about the long line of folks waiting just this past weekend - in February. Imagine what it will be like on a weekend in July!

 

[evinice66]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

septic system? oh no no no... water treatment facilities... zebras have getting into these for years and years now, they clog up all the pipes and create majoir back ups.... no matter how you guys go on an offensive move to prevent, the muscles have a different idea, being from wisconsin seen the scenario play out, and have won national awards, written a book ect. on their effects, there is no way to keep them out, id say if your going to do anything pro-active, get natural preditors in the lake b4 you get a muscle ache.... this might be the way to go instead of a pointless checklist... this might prevent a total explosion that initaily happens, thats what causes problems, the reason they affect lakes is because of the numbers of them before they balance out, once they reach thier balance they arent such a negative thing... natural predators u ask, BLUE CATFISH eat these things like crazy, **round gobies, **and sculpins, have actually been pretty great so far... think ahead and you will get ahead, when shooting a game of pool you gotta think at least 2 moves ahead in order to run the table...



** these are also an exotic invasive species that everyone got worried about untill studys were conducted and found that instead of eating only fish eggs they were going for zebras and their extreme population proved to be great for game fish forage... bass, trout and anything else that can get a hold of them, but yes they get annying also

 

[evinice66]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

sargmaj... please dont, im begging you... if you are really that interested in them do alot of research before you go and put them in a tank, as i did i had to get permision from seagrant and the dnr before conducting any experiment,
..in 1991 in wiscinsin... b4 the majior spread...not neccesary anymore, but they are in all of our wisconsin lakes now.
this will be the conclution of your trail... zebras and quagga's initially take out toxins from the water, but when they die all toxins are realeased back into the lake, as the innerbody decomposes, none are found in the shell. make sure you know what you are doing, alot people have been studying the effects of these mussles for YEARS, i would only want to encurage you to learn about them! but dont release them into a septic tank... or anywhere else!!! this could cause 10's to hunderds of thousands of dollers in damage!!!
read what studies have been done b4 you do your own....
although they are very neat to have in an aqurium, as part of a natural lake style-setup..

 

[Nandy]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

evinice66, what book did you wrote and what national awards have you won?

 

[evinice66]

Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels

" d day, the mussel invasion " 1991 written in third person educational copy written and use for non-profit soley by sea grant
and 1st city 1st in state (wi_ 1st in regonal and 4th in the nationals, 1996
science fair, the effects of zebra mussels
i just didnt anyone to try and make them useful as a wisconsin farmer did, fed them to his chickens, then poisoned 6 people with mercury.