Boat covered with invasive mussels stopped in state

SEATTLE – This week’s discovery of zebra mussels on a recreational boat traveling through Washington is the most recent sign that Pacific Northwest waters may be in danger of infestation by this tiny but mighty invasive species, a state official said Friday.

Inspectors at truck weigh stations have discovered zebra mussels on four boats in Washington since December, but since few recreational vessels are stopped at weigh stations, most are not inspected by the Washington State Patrol.

“I feel like we’ve only caught the tip of the iceberg,” said Pam Meacham, assistant aquatic invasive species coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Zebra mussels reproduce quickly and can clog pipes in municipal water systems and ruin boat motors. They were inadvertently introduced into waters near the Great Lakes in the mid-1980s, and government officials have worked with sport fishing groups to keep the invaders from spreading.

An invasion of zebra mussels also can affect a lake ecosystem as the creatures attach themselves to clams and other water life and eat all the food out of the water.

“Fisheries in the Great Lakes have collapsed,” Meacham said, adding that the infestation has spread west in recent years and is now a problem in California and Nevada. No zebra mussels have been found in Washington waters.

The boat stopped Monday at the weigh station on Interstate 5 northbound near Ridgefield was targeted by biologists from Oregon Fish and Wildlife who noticed the boat and called Washington officials to have it inspected, Meacham said. The boat, which had been salvaged after sinking in an infested lake in the Midwest, was on its way to Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Another boat was stopped in Cle Elum on the same day and sent to a boat yard to have its zebra mussels removed, she said.