Quagga Mussel Incident Susan Ellis California Department of Fish and Game September 13, 2007

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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Average Boat Inspections per Day by Station February 1 - August 4, 2007 (27 Weeks)

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Percentage of Vessels Drained or Cleaned atYermo, Needles, and Vidal (27 Weeks)

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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

Coordinatorsellis@dfg.ca.gov(916) 653-8983