The California Department of Fish and Game is taking the offensive on the Quagga and Zebra Mussel issue. Inspections continue for boat owners in the Southern end of the state, and next week they’re planning on stopping all boat owners heading up the I-5 corridor.
Interstate 5 is the North-South highway that bisects California and extends from Mexico to Oregon.
All trailered boats will be required to stop at the Cottonwood Inspection Facility in Tehama county, where boat owners will be quizzed on usage and their craft will endure a mandatory Zebra/Quagga inspection.
Both May 22nd and 23rd from 2 – 8 PM, DFG will have both biologists and trained inspection dogs to facilitate the process.
Upon entrance to the scales, DFG Game Wardens will ask vessel owners a series of questions about their watercraft. Vessels found to be clean will be released and allowed back onto the Interstate; boaters with suspect vessels will be inspected onsite by trained biologists and specially trained detection dogs. “Dirty” vessels – those that have not been cleaned, drained and dried – will also be inspected and could be quarantined.
It’s illegal to transport either mussel, allowing the DFG to detain any boat so afflicted.
To be on the safe side, I’d make sure the salami and cheese sandwiches were stored in the vehicle cab – no sense getting a “false positive” when our four legged friends “lock up” on your cooler…
Technorati Tags: quagga, zebra, mussel, I-5, boat inspection, fishing
Wally the Wonderdog’s already been trained to detect classic bamboo fly rods and microbrews on visitors to the Trout Underground World Headquarters (items will be immediately confiscated), so I guess a zebra-sniffing hound isn’t entirely out of the question…
Wally can be neutralized by Habanero-Peanut Butter icing on day old vending machine cupcakes.
Disclaimer: No dogs were harmed in the filming of the funny-assed result now being shown incessantly on YouTube.
Wow, sounds like you guys are a lot more serious about preventing the spread of invasive species than we are in MN. I suppose it’s just a matter of time before inspections are everywhere. Or maybe they don’t do it here, because there are so many boats and so many bodies of water that it would be tough to effectively inspect a fair amount of watercraft to have any impact.
Guess the DFG and Fish and Game Commish are trying to maintain their own monopoly on introducing non-native species.
Perhaps they’re trying to deflect the embarrassment from the Lake Davis Pike episodes. Watch for mandatory registration of float tubes and consent to home inspections coming next.
Maybe they can coordinate with the CHP and just run a roadside sobriety checkpoint at the same time.
Jean-Paul: Don’t make the mistake of thinking the inspections have anything to do with protecting fisheries. These efforts were spawned by water providers concerned that zebras/quaggas would clog intakes and transfer pipes.
Judging by the state’s treatment of the Delta, fishermen can pretty much go straight to hell.
T-U, good point. I forgot that money rules above all else in protecting the resource. I should know better, since I deal with that on a daily basis. Leave it to the private sector to take a step to protect their own investment.
It’s sad that the general public doesn’t view their water sources as their own investment to protect. 🙁
why is it ‘illegal’ to transport these mussels? I understand that a boat owner may carelessly transport them with a dirty boat, but the term ‘illegal’ implies to me that some conniving people are actively bringing them in? if so why?
whew. tricky stuff cruising around the roads in CA! I’m glad you’re keeping us informed — good to be preapred in case a road trip oppty pops up
If memory serves you’re not allowed to have “live” mussels in your possession. ditto for Northern Pike and all other targetted hitchhikers.
It may be a violation of DFG code or it may tie back to something larger – like maritime law. Countries have to have legal grounds for preventing ships from berthing – disease, plague, etc … a lot of these older maritime laws are used quite successfully to allow US lettuce to rot on a ship, once allowed to berth the produce is useless.
Both China and Japan have used this tactic to enforce or appeal tariffs.
I’m not good at the legal stuff – this is merely an educated guess.