Invasive Species Inspection

[Bud Kennedy]

Some areas of the country have rules and regulations regarding measures to protect against against invasive species that may be attached to your boat and trailer.  I hear about some states with zebra muscle problems and some states with rules about invasive plants that may be transported by your boat. 

We don't have any such regulations here in South Carolina fresh water and not sure about salt water locations.  What precautions are you taking in your areas to help protect the health of our waterways.  Should more attention be brought to these kind of problems to ensure that following generations have great habitat for their fishing and boating activities. I know laws exist but I don't think they get much focus in some areas of the country.

[coldfront]

spent some time in the part of the world where the state shut down bodies of water, drained them, killed them and then re-filled, restocked...  really sux to have a great lake killed off and taken out of rotation for 3-5 years.

clean drain and dry was the DEAL. 


to this day, even here where no one seems to think about stuff like that... my boat plug is always OUT, my livewells are always emptied and the boat/trailer are inspected and any vegetative matter is removed before leaving the ramp 'area' ( not the ramp, but the staging area).  it's also where I wipe down the boat.

I hate eelgrass.  but it's now coming on STRONG in nickajack and beds are now 'in' chickamauga.  one can only (and probably accurately) surmise that it's been transported by folks, boats through the lock system.  same system that will eventually allow asian carp to be 'everywhere'.
zebra mussels, quagga mussels... stuff we don't want to see... but it won't be the end of the world.  no matter how folks want to paint it that way.

still:  I clean, drain and dry my boat EVERY TIME it gets put on the trailer.

it's a habit.  just like putting in the boat plug.

[Donald Garner]

Here in Texas we have signage at all the boat ramps reminding us about the zebra mussels.  We're suppose drain our live wells and the hulls prior to leaving the lake.  Wiping down the boat and checking the trailer is recommend also.

[coldfront]

Here in Texas we have signage at all the boat ramps reminding us about the zebra mussels.  We're suppose drain our live wells and the hulls prior to leaving the lake.  Wiping down the boat and checking the trailer is recommend also.

something that NO ONE talks about:  carpeted bunkboards.  GREAT environment to transport and keep moist longer... some of those unwanted hitchhikers.

[TNDiver]

The zebra mussels were a big issue in the Great Lakes in the 80's and 90's and still probably are, until they realized how they filter the water.  The water has never been cleaner as a result. Yes, they can clog intake valves, etc, but they do a great job filtering the water.  I don't live up that way anymore, but it seems they may be changing their opinions of them due to the filtering.  Got to take the good with the bad I guess

[Hobious]

The zebra mussels were a big issue in the Great Lakes in the 80's and 90's and still probably are, until they realized how they filter the water.  The water has never been cleaner as a result. Yes, they can clog intake valves, etc, but they do a great job filtering the water.  I don't live up that way anymore, but it seems they may be changing their opinions of them due to the filtering.  Got to take the good with the bad I guess

I'm no biologist.  I think I read that too clear of water isn't necessarily a good thing. Too much light gets thru or something. Can't remember.   

I go thru inspection all the time with my kayak.  I keep mine clean.  I leave my hatches open between trips and I even run a fan inside to move air around.  I want it bone dry, fast.  I even siliconed every crack and  seam in my landing net.   I'm not gonna be a willing transport.  I'm at least not gonna make it easy.  Here we have dogs trained to smell the bivalves.  Do inspection is fast.  I'm good with it.  So far my efforts have been working.  But I don't frequent tainted waters.

[Eric-Maine]

Here's the Maine program. Turned into a great summer job for college students and retirees. $45 dollar fee this year for out of state registered boats........hope we don't start a trend.

https://www.maine.gov/dep/water/invasives/invsticker.html

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[bigjim5589]

Some years back, Snakeheads became a big issue in MD, and the hype was they would destroy all the existing fisheries. That didn't happen and now the Snakehead fishery has just added to the diverseness of what MD already had. 

The state did pass laws about transporting live fish, and initially asked anglers to kill all Snakeheads caught. That's not the case now as far as killing them, but it's still illegal to transport them live. I know of several folks in MD who fish for them regularly and release what they catch back into the waters where they catch them. 

Of course, it may actually take many, many years before they'll know what, if any, the real impact will be for the Snakeheads being there. 

I don't believe they're added any laws about boat inspections to further limit the spread of Snakeheads, or frankly any other invasive species.

[coldfront]

The zebra mussels were a big issue in the Great Lakes in the 80's and 90's and still probably are, until they realized how they filter the water.  The water has never been cleaner as a result. Yes, they can clog intake valves, etc, but they do a great job filtering the water.  I don't live up that way anymore, but it seems they may be changing their opinions of them due to the filtering.  Got to take the good with the bad I guess

when that first came out (the great lakes deal) I was living in nebraska.  talked a lot to an acquaintance who was one of the chief fisheries biologists in the state.

there are 'official govt positions' that get taken and at that moment there is no longer room for discussion.  that being said, when I dug into the fisheries research, what I noted was this:  the primary problems associated with zebra mussels were two:  first, that they'd grow/attach anywhere and clog intakes for water systems.  the COST to clean those systems was shared and written up as HUGE.  the second issue was that they'd filter out the plankton/zooplankton (the base of the food chain) and reduce nutrient availability to small fish, preyfish... basically reducing the 'bottom/base' of the food pyramid and thereby reducing all subsequent levels 'upward from there'.

as for the cost of the invasives, from what I could read, it was greatly inflated.  they'd include their current routine maintenance/cleaning cycles in as 'part of the cost of the invasives'.  in essence, not having invasives did not, does not mean that maintenance, cleaning costs would go to zero.  and based on what I saw, 'with' invasives, costs were nowhere even close to 'double'... but when you're trying to support a message of 'ARMAGEDON!!!!' you add everything and blow it up from there.

as for reduced water fertility:  that seems not to have come to pass either.

[apenland01]

Zebra mussels here, boat inspections are rare, except at larger tournaments.

Basic rules, do a basic decon on your boat and leave the plug out, so no water gets transported...