Invasive mussels stopped at Washington border

Washington officials stopped a boat contaminated with invasive zebra mussels on June 1.

The pontoon boat was being transported from Michigan to Alaska, according to a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife news release.

“Fortunately the mussels were dead and the boat had been out of the water since last fall,” said Pam Taylor, WDFW’s AIS sergeant in charge of the inspection station.

The boat was stopped at the I-90 check station on the Washington/Idaho border. The inspection station is two months old and operates full time, according to the release.

Wyoming, Washington, Oregon and Idaho are the only states in the West still free of invasive quagga and zebra mussels, which can cause massive damage to waterways, fisheries, irrigation facilities and more.