Wildlife officials are stepping up checks of boats traveling through Washington in an effort to keep out invasive mussels they say could wreak havoc throughout the region.

Quagga and zebra mussels have taken over three-quarters of U.S. waterways, invading virtually every region around the country except the Pacific Northwest, said Sgt. Eric Anderson, aquatic invasive species enforcement coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“The last bastion in the U.S. that doesn’t have these things, and which probably has the most to lose, is the Pacific Northwest,” he said. “If those things get into our Columbia River basin, literally every citizen in the Pacific Northwest will feel the impact.”

The two species are small, freshwater mussels alien to North America that reproduce in mass quantities—one mussel can produce a million eggs in a single spawning cycle. They adhere to almost any surface and can quickly plug pipes, pumps, screens and other equipment, effectively stopping the flow of water and rendering critical infrastructure inoperable.

The implications for Washington are troubling, Anderson said. Quagga and zebra mussels could damage hydroelectric facilities, water pipes, irrigation systems and salmon migration ladders. A proliferation would result in costly infrastructure repairs and consumers paying higher prices for everything from electricity to vegetables, Anderson said.

“The masses need to understand this. The people that don’t hunt, don’t fish, don’t boat, this stuff can actually affect them.”

Despite their delicate appearance, zebra mussels are a tenacious invader that can survive up to 30 days out of the water.

The mollusks also pose environmental threats. In large numbers they strip water of food sources, starving other filter feeders and leaving the water so sterile that sunlight penetrates to depths it previously didn’t, allowing invasive plant species to grow.

“It really disrupts the ecological system,” said Lt. Steve Crown, who’s in charge of training and recruitment for the WDFW.

Fish and Wildlife officers have found Quagga or zebra mussels on about 15 boats stopped at mandatory road checks over the past two and a half years, Anderson said, but so far there’s no evidence the species have made their way into Washington waters. The risk of transporting invasive species is easily avoided, he said, by draining water holds and washing boats with 140-degree water after they’ve been in waters that might be contaminated.

Authorities increased mandatory boat checks along Washington roadways after the seizure last month of a 24-foot boat in Spokane contaminated with quagga mussels from Nevada’s Lake Mead. The case is still under investigation and no charges have been filed. Importing aquatic invasive species is a gross misdemeanor punishable by fines up to $5,000 and up to a year in jail. Knowingly bringing such species into the state is a felony that can result in heavier fines and jail time.

Native to Eurasia, zebra mussels were first found in the Great Lakes in the mid-1980s, likely transported there in the ballasts of commercial ships. Quagga mussels showed up later and the two species have since infested areas including Southern California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Mississippi River system, as well as parts of Canada.

“Literally, billions of dollars in damage has been done” in other states, Anderson said. “It’s just getting worse every year.”

A sailboat hull encrusted with zebra mussels, which reproduce in mass quantities and can adhere to almost any surface.

Anderson worries mussels could be transported into Lake Washington from boaters taking their boats to and from other lakes and rivers that may be infested. Also of concern to him is the widespread use the Internet for boat purchases, and the preference of many in the Pacific Northwest for boats that have only been in freshwater, which is gentler on boats than saltwater.

“We’ve been finding a lot of people that are getting screaming deals on boats that have never been in saltwater,” Anderson said. “They’ve been in the Great Lakes, and the Great Lakes are totally filled with (quagga and zebra mussels).”

“I’m fighting Craigslist,” Anderson said. “You wanna know how many boats are on sale on Craigslist that are out of areas that are full of mussels? There are people here looking for boats all the way down to the state of Florida.”

Anderson emphasized that he doesn’t want to penalize boaters, but to educate them and enlist them in the WDFW’s quest to keep invasive mussels out of Washington waters. Boaters who discover they have inadvertently imported quagga or zebra mussels won’t be prosecuted if they report it, Anderson said.

“I want the boating community to realize we’re not doing this against them,” he said. “We’re doing this with them.”

To report invasive mussels, call 1-888-WDFW-AIS (1-888-933-9247). For more information on aquatic invasive species, visit WDFW’s website.

About Deborah Bach

Deborah Bach is the editor and co-founder of Three Sheets Northwest. She is an avid sailor and long-time professional journalist. You can find Deborah aboard Three Sheets, an Island Packet 38, with her husband Marty and their cat Lily.

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