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Hi gang, Rick Ostler here from Used Pontoon Boats with news and views from the boating industry with a story about Mussels on Needles marina in Colorado.
NEEDLES - When boat owners Dick Pyle and Rick Mazzone pulled their boat from the water at the Needles Marina this spring they was shocked by what they found.
Pontoon Boat completely cover in mussels
The entire underside of the 24 foot pontoon boat was covered by small mussels. “We pulled it out and went, oh crimany, oh God.” Pyle said. “I was shocked. I just couldn't believe it.” “It boggled my mind,” said Mazzone. “The whole bottom of the boat was clustered up. I'd never seen that before.”
The Needles residents said they leave their boat in the water year-round and only pull it out once a year for maintenance. When the boat was pulled from the water this time last year, the boat was mostly clean. “Just a little bit of moss,” Pyle said.
This year, however, the pair had to spend four hours removing the encrusted mass of bivalves from under the boat. Pyle's 3,000-lb. spray washer wasn't strong enough to remove the tenacious mollusks, which had to be painstakingly scraped off with a drywall knife.
Mussels problems reported to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The men reported the mollusk infestation to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is trying to keep zebra and quagga mussels from spreading from the eastern U.S. to the West.
Rick Francis, a technician with the California Department of Fish and Game, said that the mussels were quagga mussels, which have become a problem along the Colorado River from Lake Mead to Blythe. “Our area is pretty much getting overrun with quagga mussels,” said Francis.
According to Francis, quagga mussels have been in the Needles area for approximately one year. The mussels in the river can clog drainage pipes, water intakes of water pumps and anything else that might be in the water. The mussels will stick to boats, docks or anything hard. They are hard to see, however, because they prefer to stay in the shade. “If you flipped over some rocks, you'd find little colonies of them,” Francis said. “They're just attracted to very dark places .”
The mussels could be in a lot of places in the area, but are not easily seen from above the water. “You'll never know they're there, until you pull you boat out,” said Francis. Boaters can expect to find mussels on their boats in as little as four to six weeks.
Fish and Game concerned
According to Francis, Fish and Game does not yet know what the mussels could mean for the river. “We're not quite sure what's going to happen,” he said. “We're going to find out, that's for sure, because it's happening at a fast rate.”
The mussels were first discovered in the Colorado River at Lake Mead, and probably transported to the lake in a recreational boat.
Boaters are asked to keep their boats clean to help prevent the spread of the mussels. Boats that are found to have mussels could be quarantined and not allowed to be put into water until inspected by a representative of Fish and Game.
Use wash stations to clean your boat
“I'd recommend that they find a wash station right there in Needles and clean their boat,” said Francis. “Pull your boat out, do your own inspection and get them off.”
Boaters who use the area for short periods of time also need to be concerned about the mussels. Those boaters need to make sure their boats are clean and dry after exiting the water, including live wells and bilge. “That's the most important thing, to clean and dry the boat,” said Francis. “If you've got live wells, open them up and dry them out with a towel. They'll make you do it at the inspection station.”
Francis estimated that the mussels started growing 6-7 weeks after Pyle and Mazzone put their boat in the water. The infestation that the two men had on their boat is common for a boat in the water as long as theirs was. “It's normal now,” said Francis. “Those long term slip renters are guaranteed, in the lower Colorado River area where you are, to have them on their boat.”
Francis warns boat owners against leaving their boat motors in the water, and said that Pyle and Mazzone were lucky that they didn't leave their motor where the mussels could grow inside and cause severe damage.
For more information on invasive mussels, visit the Fish and Wildlife Service Web site at http://www.fws .gov/news/ mussels.html
Thanks to MARK ASHLEY, www.mohavedailynews.com for this.
Used Pontoon Boats, By Rick Ostler
Pontoon Enclosures-North American Waterway
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Showing posts with label quagga mussels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quagga mussels. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Used Pontoon Boats - Big Bear Lake Dodges a Mussels Bullet
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Hi gang, Rick Ostler from Used Pontoon boats bring you news and views from the boating industry. Big Bear Lake dodged a bullet April 17. A pontoon boat from Arizona was ready to launch from Captain John’s Fawn Harbor Marina with quagga mussels attached to the hull.
“The boat attendant got a bad feeling,” said Big Bear Lake Municipal Water District General Manager Scott Heule. Heule said the combination of an Arizona registration and a Lake Havasu water sports sticker prompted the attendant to send the boat to the West Boat Launch Ramp. An MWD inspector stationed at the West Ramp found quagga mussels attached to the boat. The mussels were already dead, Heule said.
“We were stunned. We thought we would be lucky to see one infected boat all season and we’ve already seen one and it’s April,” Heule said.
Big Bear Lake - Mussels Threat to Lake in 2007
It was the closest a quagga mussel has come to Big Bear Lake since the MWD identified the mussel as a threat to the lake in 2007, Heule said. In early April a boat headed to Big Bear Lake was inspected at the Interstate 15 agriculture stop in Yermo. Quagga mussels were attached and the boat was quarantined for 14 days, said Mike Giusti, senior environmental scientist for California Department of Fish and Game.
The quagga mussel is an invasive species found in lakes across the United States. The mussel started spreading from the Great Lakes in the late 1980s and migrated west reaching the Colorado River, Lake Havasu, Lake Mojave and several lakes in Southern California, Giusti said. “The quagga mussel cuts out the bottom of the food chain,” he said. The mussel eats phytoplankton, which bait fish feed on. Without bait fish, the game fish start dying. The destruction doesn’t stop there.
The quagga mussel damages boat intakes and dam works. Lakes in Southern California have shut down because of the mussel, Giusti said.
The MWD hopes to avoid the devastation with the public’s help. On April 24 Valley businesses and residents gathered to hear what the MWD plans to do to defend the lake.
In addition to check points at the MWD’s West and East launch ramps, the agency is launching an educational campaign aimed at boaters.
Big Bear Lake - Boaters fill out questionaire
“Clean, drained and dry is our slogan,” said MWD Lake Manager Mike Stephenson. Boats need to be cleaned, bilge tanks and intakes drained and dried before they can enter Big Bear Lake. Boaters fill out a questionnaire before launching into the lake. The boaters must list what lakes their boats have been in during the last month. If none of the lake listed are infected, the boaters will get a yellow slip to enter the lake.
“The yellow slip is like a hall pass,” Stephenson said. If the boat stays out of the inflected lakes, is cleaned, drained and dry before getting into Big Bear Lake, the boat can get into the lake with little delay, he said. The MWD will power wash any boats that have been on contaminated lakes and prohibit the boat from launching for eight days. Other lakes will be notified that the boat is quarantined, he said.
Dick Kun asked how the MWD will get the job done on busy weekends?
“In all likelihood there will be maybe two or three boats that need to be disinfected all season,” Stephenson said. Stephenson said the majority of boaters who could come to Big Bear Lake from infected waters are coming from the Colorado River and lakes east of Big Bear. Those boats will go through the agricultural stops on the highway where inspectors are checking boats.
Big Bear Lake - Discovery Center to use volunteers
Denis Thomas, director of the Big Bear Discovery Center, recommended using volunteers to help on busy weekends. “If you provided the training, we have plenty of volunteers at the Discovery Center willing to help,” he said.
Heule said the MWD will look into training volunteers.
Kun said it appears that the quagga mussel will eventually get into the lake. “Has the MWD looked into chemical eradication,” he asked.
The lone product that kills the mussel without killing fish is a bacteria common in ice cream, Giusti said. However, the bacteria is in the test phase and he can’t imagine many lakes using it. “Do you want to tell your customers that you are putting a bacteria in the lake?” he asked. A molluscicide is years away, he added.
The best thing is to keep the mussels from getting here, Stephenson said.
Thanks to reporter Brian Charles at bigbeargrizzly.net
Contact Brian at 909-866-3456, ext. 134 or by e-mail at briancharles@bigbeargrizzly.net.
Big Bear Lake Cabin Rentals
Here are some of the best Big Bear Lake Cabin Rentals.
A. Big Bear Frontier Hotel Resort - www.big-bear-cabins.com - (909) 866-2232 - 59 reviews
B. Three Pines Lodge & Resort Rentals - www.threepineslodge.com - (909) 866-4103 - 12 reviews
C. Big Bear Cool Cabins - www.bigbearcoolcabins.com - 6 reviews
D. Cal Pine Chalets & Vacation Rentals - www.bigbearcalpine.com - (909) 866-2574 - more
E. Pine Knot Guest Ranch - www.pineknotguestranch.com - (909) 866-6500 - 47 reviews
F. Oak Knoll Lodge - www.big-bear-lake.com - (909) 866-2773 - 1 review
G. Timber Haven Lodge - www.timberhavenlodge.com - (909) 866-7207 - 31 reviews
H. Big Bear Lakewood Cabins - www.bigbearlakewoodcabins.com - (909) 866-7633 - more
I. Big Bear Mountain Resort Rentals Inc. - www.bigbear1.com - (909) 878-2233 - more
J. Black Bear Cottages - www.blackbearcottages.net - (909) 878-3052 - 5 reviews
Used Pontoon Boats, By Rick Ostler
Pontoon Enclosures-North American Waterway
Be sure to check out this Big Bear Lake Videos
Also we value your comments, if you can add more info in regards to this article please do so. Thanks............Rick
Hi gang, Rick Ostler from Used Pontoon boats bring you news and views from the boating industry. Big Bear Lake dodged a bullet April 17. A pontoon boat from Arizona was ready to launch from Captain John’s Fawn Harbor Marina with quagga mussels attached to the hull.
“The boat attendant got a bad feeling,” said Big Bear Lake Municipal Water District General Manager Scott Heule. Heule said the combination of an Arizona registration and a Lake Havasu water sports sticker prompted the attendant to send the boat to the West Boat Launch Ramp. An MWD inspector stationed at the West Ramp found quagga mussels attached to the boat. The mussels were already dead, Heule said.
“We were stunned. We thought we would be lucky to see one infected boat all season and we’ve already seen one and it’s April,” Heule said.
Big Bear Lake - Mussels Threat to Lake in 2007
It was the closest a quagga mussel has come to Big Bear Lake since the MWD identified the mussel as a threat to the lake in 2007, Heule said. In early April a boat headed to Big Bear Lake was inspected at the Interstate 15 agriculture stop in Yermo. Quagga mussels were attached and the boat was quarantined for 14 days, said Mike Giusti, senior environmental scientist for California Department of Fish and Game.
The quagga mussel is an invasive species found in lakes across the United States. The mussel started spreading from the Great Lakes in the late 1980s and migrated west reaching the Colorado River, Lake Havasu, Lake Mojave and several lakes in Southern California, Giusti said. “The quagga mussel cuts out the bottom of the food chain,” he said. The mussel eats phytoplankton, which bait fish feed on. Without bait fish, the game fish start dying. The destruction doesn’t stop there.
The quagga mussel damages boat intakes and dam works. Lakes in Southern California have shut down because of the mussel, Giusti said.
The MWD hopes to avoid the devastation with the public’s help. On April 24 Valley businesses and residents gathered to hear what the MWD plans to do to defend the lake.
In addition to check points at the MWD’s West and East launch ramps, the agency is launching an educational campaign aimed at boaters.
Big Bear Lake - Boaters fill out questionaire
“Clean, drained and dry is our slogan,” said MWD Lake Manager Mike Stephenson. Boats need to be cleaned, bilge tanks and intakes drained and dried before they can enter Big Bear Lake. Boaters fill out a questionnaire before launching into the lake. The boaters must list what lakes their boats have been in during the last month. If none of the lake listed are infected, the boaters will get a yellow slip to enter the lake.
“The yellow slip is like a hall pass,” Stephenson said. If the boat stays out of the inflected lakes, is cleaned, drained and dry before getting into Big Bear Lake, the boat can get into the lake with little delay, he said. The MWD will power wash any boats that have been on contaminated lakes and prohibit the boat from launching for eight days. Other lakes will be notified that the boat is quarantined, he said.
Dick Kun asked how the MWD will get the job done on busy weekends?
“In all likelihood there will be maybe two or three boats that need to be disinfected all season,” Stephenson said. Stephenson said the majority of boaters who could come to Big Bear Lake from infected waters are coming from the Colorado River and lakes east of Big Bear. Those boats will go through the agricultural stops on the highway where inspectors are checking boats.
Big Bear Lake - Discovery Center to use volunteers
Denis Thomas, director of the Big Bear Discovery Center, recommended using volunteers to help on busy weekends. “If you provided the training, we have plenty of volunteers at the Discovery Center willing to help,” he said.
Heule said the MWD will look into training volunteers.
Kun said it appears that the quagga mussel will eventually get into the lake. “Has the MWD looked into chemical eradication,” he asked.
The lone product that kills the mussel without killing fish is a bacteria common in ice cream, Giusti said. However, the bacteria is in the test phase and he can’t imagine many lakes using it. “Do you want to tell your customers that you are putting a bacteria in the lake?” he asked. A molluscicide is years away, he added.
The best thing is to keep the mussels from getting here, Stephenson said.
Thanks to reporter Brian Charles at bigbeargrizzly.net
Contact Brian at 909-866-3456, ext. 134 or by e-mail at briancharles@bigbeargrizzly.net.
Big Bear Lake Cabin Rentals
Here are some of the best Big Bear Lake Cabin Rentals.
A. Big Bear Frontier Hotel Resort - www.big-bear-cabins.com - (909) 866-2232 - 59 reviews
B. Three Pines Lodge & Resort Rentals - www.threepineslodge.com - (909) 866-4103 - 12 reviews
C. Big Bear Cool Cabins - www.bigbearcoolcabins.com - 6 reviews
D. Cal Pine Chalets & Vacation Rentals - www.bigbearcalpine.com - (909) 866-2574 - more
E. Pine Knot Guest Ranch - www.pineknotguestranch.com - (909) 866-6500 - 47 reviews
F. Oak Knoll Lodge - www.big-bear-lake.com - (909) 866-2773 - 1 review
G. Timber Haven Lodge - www.timberhavenlodge.com - (909) 866-7207 - 31 reviews
H. Big Bear Lakewood Cabins - www.bigbearlakewoodcabins.com - (909) 866-7633 - more
I. Big Bear Mountain Resort Rentals Inc. - www.bigbear1.com - (909) 878-2233 - more
J. Black Bear Cottages - www.blackbearcottages.net - (909) 878-3052 - 5 reviews
Used Pontoon Boats, By Rick Ostler
Pontoon Enclosures-North American Waterway
Be sure to check out this Big Bear Lake Videos
Also we value your comments, if you can add more info in regards to this article please do so. Thanks............Rick
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