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[#0000FF]Channel 2 news in SLC had a brief coverage of the increasing potential problems with quagga mussels. They said that boat inspections at non-infected lakes (like Deer Creek and Jordanelle) are turning up more craft that have been at Powell and actually have live mussels on their boats. Scary.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF][url "https://kutv.com/news/local/quagga-mussels-found-on-four-boats-in-jordanelle-reservoir"]LINK TO ARTICLE[/url]
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Glad to see the technicians doing their job, good for them, unlike the boaters, they failed at their part. It only takes one to ruin it for everyone.
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Not only scary, it is a  reflection on boat owners. Those irresponsible owners should be heavily fined or restricted ownership for a few years as others who do as is required will pay the price (everyone who recreates on the water).
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[#0000FF]Sadly, I heard through an "informed source" that there have been a couple of infested boats that were discovered only after they had already been on Jordanelle. Only a matter of time until vilegers (larvae) turn up in the water samplings and then that lake will be listed as "infected" for the next three years...or forever.
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I saw that also on ch2 news. As a resident who is paying fees for boat registration supporting AIS, does inspections from those infected waters stop there? Why is it left up to the folks at the incoming clean lakes to catch this only? It seems to me DNR would set up a large scale of out going inspections from L Powell which should be manned 24/7 so no one would slip thru. There are suggestions out there that the right ones can be implemented.
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I think our government agencies have dropped the ball. Twice this summer when leaving Bullfrog I asked for decontamination since I planned on fishing other waters before the appropriate drying time. The Dwr personnel argued with me and basically refused to decontaminate my boat. I returned home and went to our regional Dwr office where they throughly washed my boat. Yes, as sportsmen we have an obligation to do all we can to stop the spread of invasive species but our regulatory agencies have got to do a better job or we will have mussels in all our lakes. We've all got to be serious about this problem.
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Worse yet, if they turn up in Jordanelle, they'll eventually float down to Deer Creek and Utah Lake, including all of the river.
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[#0000FF]And...as pointed out in the Channel 2 broadcast...in all the water systems that use any of the water from that source. Those mussels totally trash the pipes and processing equipment.
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I sincerely hope the DWR took the names of the boaters who so flagrantly ignored the law, and eventually fine/imprison/bill them for the disaster.
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[#0000FF]As do we all.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]But that is like pouring water on the smoldering embers of a house that has already burned to the ground. The consequences may be far worse than any penalty they could assess.
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I don't know if there's a penalty for attempting to launch with infestation or evade a mussel inspection, but there darn well ought to be. Heavy fines are at least some deterrent.
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It is beyond reason that DNR/DWR/ Park Service and other agencies tasked with keeping mussels contained to Lake Powell, are not more vigilant. Contamination of Jordanelle not only affects that body of water, but Deer Creek, Provo River, Utah Lake, and Jordan River. What will happen is that if Utah does not UP it's enforcement and contain the mussels, other states will not allow boats registered in Utah to launch. You will have to pay for decontamination and/or quarantine of your rig before you can launch. It is stupidity on the part of DNR/DWR to not be more vigilant in the enforcement and efforts to contain these things. More needs to be done and my guess is that we the sportsman are going to have to force the issue to see it happen !!
PS: Patchydog, I would call DNR, DWR, and Park Service and raise hell with all three of them !! It is unconscionable to have the people at Bullfrog refuse to decontaminate a vessel pulling out of the lake.
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Unfortunately, alot of the violators are not fishermen. Fishermen seem to be much more aware and concerned about the issue and risks than the general boating public. I honestly think the only way to really get the general public's attention is to enforce with severe penalties as the "education" tack doesn't seem to be getting the desired results.
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I've been to deer creek three times this month. Arrived about 6:30 am, no one is at the island boat launch. Never had anyone ask me or look at my boat.
In fact one time I forgot to put my papers in the dash. No one checked my car. I think were in trouble.
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[#0000FF]Sounds like a ray of hope. However, from what I can glean from their info it would seem geared more toward facility use rather than as a treatment for a large body of water. One can only guess at what a wholesale treatment of Jordanelle might cost. Or Lake Powell?
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Fished Powell back in May - it is really crazy seeing how many mussels are on the rocks. Also really crazy to see how much clearer the water is since they have become well established. Could see bottom in 25 feet of water or more.
The bluegills are eating them though and are getting huge. Overall I think the mussels are obviously bad news, but I think there will be 4+lb bluegills at Powell here soon.
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[#0000FF]Mussels are one of those two sides of a coin thing. They really do cause lots of damage and are costly to clean up out of water pumps and pipes. But in most lakes where they have become established anglers notice clearer water and often better fishing.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]In Lake Havasu they planted redear sunfish, that live on small mollusks and crustaceans. And the redears are growing to great sizes. But by themselves they can't even make a dent in the mussel population.[/#0000FF]
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[quote TubeDude]But in most lakes where they have become established anglers notice clearer water and often better fishing.[/quote]
At Lake Powell this spring the clear water made fishing much more difficult...especially for stripers and walleye. It was very obvious that to put fish in the boat you had to find murky water (which was much more difficult to find) than any other spring I have been down at Powell.
What I noticed was that the clear water was also increasing the amount of algae in Powell. When I was down in May, large mats of algae could be found floating around all over the clear water. These types of algae mats were in no doubt a result of clear water and sun rays reaching rocks that previously never really saw it. Thankfully, those algae mats disappeared as runoff came and water has stayed a bit murkier throughout the summer. Time will only tell if this will have any negative effects for the future...
Having just returned from Powell last weekend, I was a little frustrated that the decontamination site was closed at 5 PM while I left at 6 PM and didn't get my boat cleaned. Though I probably won't use it again at anywhere other than Powell this fall, it was obvious that many boaters probably faced the same problem I did and many boats are not being cleaned after leaving. BUT, as frustrating as this is, we must remember that this is also a budget issue and the DWR/DNR are limited in funds. IF we really want 24/7 decon sites, we need to demand it first from our local legislators and state representatives to consider this as a need and increase budgets to allow it. As is, 24/7 decon sites would force budgets to be reduced in other areas which could also severely impact fishing and fisheries. This issue is far more complex than what some realize and is way over simplified. The dollars it will cost to run decon sites 24/7 is astronomical...where is that funding going to come from and who is going to foot that bill?
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You know where the astronomical funds would come from: astronomical boat registrations.
A fairer approach would be to add a mandatory boat disinfection fee to every boat that enters Powell. Collect right at the entrance gate. That way, only boaters at Powell would pay for the service at Powell, not every boater in Utah.
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