DWR Attempts To Curb Mussel Invasion in Utah
Agnieszka Spieszny 08.05.11
The Division of Wildlife Resources in Utah (DWR) will host a checkpoint in September to prevent an invasive species of mussels from entering Utah through Arizona. The DWR is inspecting entering boats for quagga and zebra mussels, which destroy fisheries and may clog pipes and motors. The checkpoint will be along Interstate-15 at of the port-of-entry along St. George in southwestern Utah.
Scott Daleabout is a lieutenant with the DWR in Utah. Daleabout said removing the mussels is extremely costly, about a few million dollars a year. The danger is that they multiple at an exponential rate resulting in millions of mussels.
“When you have enough of them they start to die and wash up on the shore and smell horrid,” Daleabout said. “Their shells crack and it’s like there’s glass on the banks.”
This is one of four checks they’ve done since Utah has begun containment efforts after the first adult mollusk was found in April 2010. Mussels first came to the United States to the east coast and the Great Lakes on large ships from eurasia. They’ve since recently spread to the west; Lake Mead, which is along the Colorado River corridor, is one of the worst mollusk-infested areas. It’s likely veligers (baby mussles) are present, though they’re hard to spot because of their small size.
The DWR is trying to assuage the situation by checkpoints such as these, but also by educating citizens about the problem and spreading word through the media.
Quick Facts:
Date and time of checkpoint: Friday, Sept. 2nd. 4PM to 9PM.
Location: The St. George port-of-entry along I-15 in Utah.
To notify authorities of an aquatic invasive species call the national hotline 24/7, 365 days a year at 1-877-STOP-ANS (1-877-786-7267).
More information can be found at the 100th Meridian Initiative website.