By Dac Collins. April 19, 2018. In light of the feature story we published last week, entitled “Musseling In: Invasives a threat to the region’s waterways”, the editorial staff at EnviroGorge felt it appropriate to share a timely and relevant article published in the Mail Tribune on April 16.
The article, entitled “Invasive quagga mussels found during boat inspection”, confirms writer Susanne Wright’s fears that the invasives are an imminent threat to the Columbia River Basin. It tells the story of a trailered yacht headed for the Columbia River that stopped at the Ashland port-of-entry on I-5 for a mandatory boat inspection. Inspectors with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife found quagga mussels stuck to the boat’s hull, trim tabs and ski platform.
According to the Mail Tribune’s story, the owner of the boat was a Portland resident who had bought the boat down in Texas. He cooperated with ODFW and the boat was decontaminated with high-pressure hot water in about an hour.
This incident serves as a reminder of just how serious this invasive threat is to the region’s waterways.
Scarier still is the fact that this is only one of four incidents involving quagga mussels in Oregon over the past few months. The Mail Tribune reports that two boats were successfully decontaminated earlier this year after being stopped in Ontario, and another decontamination crew was sent to Reedsport where yet another mussel-infested vessel was discovered.
So please remember to CLEAN, DRAIN and DRY your watercraft and equipment after a day on the water, especially when moving it from one water body to another. The health of our rivers and lakes depends on it.
