Marina staff's quick action prevents spread to reservoir; highlights need for caution

Generally, the news on zebra mussels and other aquatic nuisance species (ANS) is bad, but recently, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) staff reported some good news.

"I would like to recognize the staff at Melvern Marina for their action to prevent the spread of zebra mussels to Melvern Reservoir," said Jason Goeckler, aquatic nuisance species biologist for KDWP. "On May 29, a boat was brought to Melvern Marina for service. The service staff began to work on the boat and noticed that zebra mussels were attached to several locations on the boat. They quickly called KDWP for identification and further instructions."

KDWP staff immediately went to the marina to investigate and found zebra mussels attached to the boat.

"The good news is that the mussels were all dead, and the boat had been out of the water since June 2007," Goeckler continued. "The cautionary news is that the boat owner did not inspect the boat prior to leaving the infested lake in which he had last used the boat, and he towed the contaminated boat to Melvern. This ‘near-miss’ makes us acutely aware that without public awareness and action, zebra mussels can easily spread to new waters."

The steps to preventing ANS spread can be summed in three words: clean, drain, dry. Before leaving a lake, everyone should take the following steps to prevent ANS spread:

• inspect equipment for any attached plants, animals, or mud and remove anything that is found;
• drain all water from equipment;
• do not move live fish from one water to another;
• properly dispose of unused bait; and
• if equipment has been in zebra mussel-infested water, wash it with high pressure hot water, or let it dry for five days.

For more information, phone Goeckler at 620-342-0658 or 620-794-3470, or email him at jasong@wp.state.ks.us

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