Mussel-Infested Boat Prevented From Launching

On Wednesday, March 11th, park staff prevented a vessel with live quagga mussels attached from launching at Lake Powell, thereby possibly averting a serious infestation of the rapidly reproducing exotic mussels.

The vessel, which was to be launched at Wahweap and taken to a slip at Bullfrog Marina, was determined to have live mussels during a required pre-launch inspection by National Park Service and marina officials.  All vessels coming to Lake Powell that need a slip or a buoy are required to be inspected for any aquatic invasive species, including quagga mussels. Utah Department of Wildlife Resources biologist Wayne Gustaveson confirmed the inspectors’ finding of live mussels attached to the boat.

As soon as the mussels were identified, the boat was decontaminated with a high pressure scalding wash. Following the decontamination procedure, the boat was placed in quarantine, where it was to remain for at least five days. The vessel will not be launched until it has been inspected again by an NPS or state biologist.

“These incidents can be scary,” said superintendent Stan Austin, “but it really shows our preventative plan works. We have planned ahead and are ready for these kinds of threats. We rely on several layers of protection to keep our waters mussel free. This particular aspect of the program worked exactly as it was supposed to.”

The boat had come from Lake Pleasant State Park in Arizona and had only been out of the water for three days.

Quagga mussel infestations present serious problems for lakes and rivers throughout the United States, but only recently appeared in the west, where significant efforts are being made to keep them out. For details, click on "More Information" link below, which will take you to the park's quagga mussel page.