Quagga MusselIncident
Susan EllisCalifornia Department of Fish and
Game
September 13, 2007
Natural History
• Freshwater species
• Native to Ukraine and Russia
• A form of zebra mussels (Genus Dreissena)
• Came to U.S. in late 1980’s (ballast water?)
• Very prolific: 1 million eggs/year
• Larvae free-swimming
• Adults can live at least a week out of water
California Concerns• Spread readily –
Vessels/Trailers/Water
• Environmental damage.
• Economic impacts.
• Eradication from Colorado River system unlikely.
What’s At Risk?
Dreissenid Mussel Range 1988
Range in 1998
Range February, 2007
Zebra mussel
Quagga mussel
Zebra mussel on boat trailers
Quagga Mussel in California
• Colorado River • Lake Havasu
• Grass Bay, south of the Havasu Landing Resort
• Parker Dam
• South of Parker Dam
• Colorado River Aqueduct – 242 miles of the system
• Lake Skinner, Riverside County
• Lake Mathews, Riverside County
• San Vicente Reservoir, San Diego County
• Dixon Lake, San Diego County
• Lower Otay Reservoir, San Diego County
Quagga Mussel in the West
Incident Overview• Invasive aquatic species
• Discovered in Lake Mead on January 6, 2007
• Formed an Incident Command, developed coordinated response and appropriated state resources
• Found at Lake Mohave, Lake Havasu, MWD diversion intake structure
California Response
• Unified response using incident command system
• Agencies involved: Fish & Game, Water Resources, Food & Agriculture, Boating & Waterways, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Metropolitan Water District, City of San Diego
• Coordination with multi-state quagga mussel team for Lake Mead incident
• Governor appropriated deficiency >$2m for FY2006-7 and >$5.4m in FY2007-08
• Legislation pending – AB1683 Wolk
Incident Command Structure
California Actions – Surveys
• Dive Surveys - Lower Colorado River and inland waters in southern California.
• Surface Surveys - all high priority waterbodies in the state.
California Actions – Inspections
24/7 inspections at CDFA Border Protection Stations (BPS) at Yermo, Needles, Vidal Jct. and Truckee
CDFA Border Protection Stations
As of August 26, 2007:
59,241 boats checked
6,412 boats needing cleaning
50 confirmed Dreissenid mussel
CDFA / BPS – Watercraft Inspections by Week
Watercraft Inspections at Yermo, Needles, and Vidal February 1 - August 4, 2007 (27 Weeks)
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CDFA / BPS – Watercraft Inspection by Day
Average Boat Inspections per Day by Station February 1 - August 4, 2007 (27 Weeks)
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CDFA / BPS – Watercraft in Need of Draining and/or
Cleaning
Percentage of Vessels Drained or Cleaned atYermo, Needles, and Vidal (27 Weeks)
0.00%2.00%4.00%6.00%8.00%
10.00%12.00%14.00%16.00%18.00%
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Cleaned
Trend
California Actions – Outreach
Public information and education
Hotline 1 (866) 440-9530
Webpage http://www.dfg.ca.gov/quaggamussel/
•Boater information
Ongoing Efforts• Scientific Advisory
Panel
• Outreach and training
• Multi-agency coordination
• Continued inspection, interdiction
• On-going sampling
Contact Information
Hotline 1 (866) 440-9530
Webpage http://www.dfg.ca.gov/quaggamussel/
DFG ContactSusan Ellis, Invasive Species
[email protected](916) 653-8983