3/5/2007

Boaters, anglers asked to take action against zebra mussels

Awareness and a few simple preventive measures can help keep this damaging invader at bay.

JEFFERSON CITY-Brian Canaday, who oversees the Conservation Department's efforts to keep invasive plants and animals out of Missouri, says the fact that Missouri has held the zebra mussel at bay this long indicates that citizens take the threat seriously. He urges Missourians to maintain their vigilance against an exotic mollusk that threatens economic and ecological damage.

"Boaters' and anglers' role in preventing the spread of zebra mussels is absolutely critical," said Canaday. "We cannot overemphasize the importance of taking preventive measures when moving boats from one body of water to another, particularly when bringing boats into Missouri from other states."

Immature zebra mussels, called veligers, are tiny and float free in infested waters. They can hitch a ride to new locations in even small amounts of water left in bait buckets, live wells, boat bilges or in the cooling systems of marine motors. Adults attached to the hulls of boats can survive out of water for several days.

If you are a boater, angler, water-skier, scuba-diver, sailor or canoeist, you can help prevent the spread of zebra mussels by taking the following precautions.

* Learn how to identify zebra mussels. For information, write to MDC, "Zebra Mussel Watch Card" and "Zebra Mussel: Missouri's Most Unwanted," P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102. Or send a request for these publications to pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov. If you suspect a new infestation, report it to the nearest Conservation Department office.

* Thoroughly inspect your boat and trailer and other items that come in contact with the water. Use a flashlight to check inside and recessed areas as well as exterior surfaces.

* Before leaving a lake or stream, scrape off any suspected mussels, however small, and put them in a trash receptacle away from the water. Remove all weeds hanging from the boat or trailer before leaving.

* Drain water from the motor, live well, bilge and transom wells and any other water from your boat and equipment while on land before leaving any water body.

* When you get home - before launching your boat again - thoroughly rinse and dry the hull, drive unit, live wells, live well pumping system, bilge, trailer, bait buckets, engine cooling system and other boat parts exposed to water. Use a hard spray from a garden hose. If your boat was in infested waters for a long period of time, or if you find any attached adult mussels, use hot (104 F) water instead of cold, or take the boat to a do-it-yourself carwash and use hot, high-pressure spray to "de-mussel" your boat. Do not use chlorine bleach or other environmentally unsound washing solutions.

* Trash leftover bait away from water before leaving any water body. Never take bait from one water body to another.

* Let boats, motors and trailers dry thoroughly in the sun for at least five days before boating again.

* In infested waters, the best way to keep a hull mussel-free is to run the boat frequently. Small juvenile mussels are quite soft and are scoured off the hull at high speeds.

* If possible, leave outboards or outdrives in the up position. Periodically inspect hulls and drive units, and scrape free of mussels. Pump hot water through your engine's intake on a regular basis to prevent mussel growth inside the engine's cooling system.

* Consult the Conservation Department before trying to control or eradicate zebra mussels or any other exotic pest. Pest species often thrive on disturbance. Do-it-yourself control treatments can make matters worse and can harm native species.

Several Missouri Stream Teams are monitoring lakes and streams for zebra mussels. If you would like to join the effort, call (800) 781-989 or visit the Stream Team web-site at www.mostreamteam.org.

For more information about zebra mussels, contact Canaday at (573) 751-4115, ext. 3371, or go to www.protectyourwaters.net.

To report a potential zebra mussel sighting, contact the nearest Missouri Conservation Department office or go to: www.mdc.mo.gov/nathis/exotic/zebra/:  www.missouriconservation.org/nathis/exotic/zebra/.

-Jim Low-