|
 |
 |
 |
 |
News : Current New Release
Boaters are the Key to Thwarting Invasive Species
May 29, 2009 -- In March, a leading outdoor writer wrote an article in the Jackson Hole Guide about how boaters are the key to stopping invasive species. Today, a very similar article was published in Vermont. Read both of the articles to get the details and see how similar recognition is starting to occur around the country.
"Aquatic recreation, which I champion and admire is the strongest link in the dissemination of aquatic nuisance species. Quagga mussels most likely arrived in Lake Mead fastened to the hull, engine or a piece of gear or in the bilge water of a private boat cruising other mussel-infested water. In spite of several “certified” cleanings, last spring the cooling systems of a twin-engine cruiser were discovered to be thoroughly mussel filled by a mechanic at Lucerne Marina in the Utah portion of Flaming Gorge. It is believed this mussel incident was contained, but remember that this impoundment bordering Wyoming and Utah is only 200 miles from Jackson."
"In the Connecticut River watershed, boats are the biggest threat to importing or spreading invasive species. Care in preventing further spread of these infestations is the only tool we have at our disposal. There are no "fixes" once milfoil, zebra mussels, rock snot or other exotics are in our waters."
|
The Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers web site is part of the ANS Task Force public
awareness campaign and is sponsored by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and the U.S. Coast Guard.
|
|
|
|
