New proposed Lake County invasive mussel program

[bassbooger]

If passed, this could cost non-Lake County boaters up toward $120.00 per year to fish bodies of water within Lake County.

Here is the article at the Lake County Record Bee written by Outdoors Columnist Terry Knight: www.record-bee.com/ci_13708739


New program would require new sticker every month - By Terry Knight -- Record-Bee outdoors columnist
Updated: 11/03/2009 10:32:02 PM PST


The quagga mussel prevention program in Lake County will undergo some profound changes if the Lake County Board of Supervisors adopts the recommendations of the Invasive Species Council.

University of California scientist Greg Giusti chairs the Invasive Species Council and the group is made up of scientists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) as well as members of the Lake County Board of Supervisors, Lakeport City Council, Lake County Chamber of Commerce and the Big Valley Rancheria, as well as other people with various fields of expertise.

The Council has recommended revising the present practice of issuing annual quagga mussel stickers to out-of-county boaters. The new system will require all out-of-county boats display a colored plastic tie wrap attached to the eye of the boat. The eye is located on the bow and is where the boat is normally tied down to the trailer. The plastic cable tie will have a different color for each month.

For example, red could be for January, blue for February and so on. The non-resident boater would be required to undergo a new screening process each month. He/she would be asked where the boat has been during the past month and if the boat has been in any quagga mussel-infested area. If the answer is no, the boater would be issued a cable tie for that month. If the boat has been in an infested area such as Lake Mead, the boater would be directed to take the boat to another inspector, who would inspect it throroughly before issuing a cable tie if it passed the inspection. If the boat fails the inspection it will be barred from launching at Clear Lake.

The cost of the cable tie would be $10. If a boater registered his boat every month it would come to $120 per year, but the feeling among the Council members is that very few out-of-county boaters actually register their boat every month, and since public launching ramps are free around Clear Lake it's still a bargain.

Lake County residents would continue to be issued a sticker good for the entire time the boat is in the county. To receive a resident sticker, the boater would have to provide proof that the boat is registered in the county. Giusti said he hopes the new system will be in place and operational by Jan. 1.

The new program does face challenges. For one thing, the two municipalities in the county (Lakeport and Clearlake) would have to endorse the program (Lakeport already has). I don't believe the current county ordinance on the quagga mussel applies to the cities and if Lakeport and Clearlake don't enforce the ordinance, it all becomes a moot point.

The two major launching ramps on Clear Lake are located within the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake. Lakeport has assigned a park ranger to monitor boats at Library Park and the Fifth Street ramps. There is no such monitoring program yet at Redbud Park in Clearlake, but that could occur in the future.

If a boat without a sticker or cable tie launches in Clear Lake and is cited, the fine can exceed $500. The Lake County Sheriff's boat patrol will issue a citation to any boat that hasn't complied with the ordinance.

Since the new program would generate a considerable amount of money from the boaters, the money should be put in a special fund. The fund could be used to administer the new program and any money left over could be used to improve the lake. The money shouldn't go into the county's general fund and it shouldn't be tapped for other county expenses.

All the experts on the Council agree that if the mussel gets into the lake it would devastate not only the water companies that draw water from the lake, but the tourist industry as well. The impact on the fisheries would be huge. The mussels multiply extremely fast and they will use up the nutrients in the lake that the fish require. A single mussel can pump a quart of water a day through its digestive system.

DFG Environmental scientist Jason Roberts said that to date the quagga mussel has been limited to the waters that drain from the Colorado River and there hasn't been any sign of the mussel in Northern California. However, that could all change in a hurry if an infected boat were to launch in Clear Lake. Once the mussels get into a lake it's impossible to eradicate them. In fact, there has never been a lake in the world where the mussel has been successfully eradicated. The only way to keep the mussels out of the lake is to prevent contaminated boats from launching.

Clear Lake is too valuable to allow it to be contaminated by an invasive species. It's much cheaper to prevent the mussels from getting into the lake rather than trying to cope with them once they are here.

[PapaJohn454]

The problem I have with the inspection program is that it seems to assume boats are the only way the mussels can be transported.

Can't the larvae be transported by birds: seagulls, ducks and geese just as easily?

[fish_food]

The problem I have with the inspection program is that it seems to assume boats are the only way the mussels can be transported.

Can't the larvae be transported by birds: seagulls, ducks and geese just as easily?

So are you saying because there are certain mechanisms of infestation that can't be controlled, boaters shouldn't share in any of the burden?

[lowerider]

Boaters shouldnt share in the burden because the guys that give out the stickers dont even look at your boat? When I got mine the guy never went outside so how is this going to prevent the mussels from spreading? ITS NOT! Its another B.S. way to generate money. Can anyone say that they didnt see it coming? It was obvious from the start.

[Tin Can]

I know nobody wants this to happen, but if clear lake really wants to stop the spread of mussels, they should really think about actually inspecting boats instead of just selling stickers. The program they have in place now it a joke and so is the new one.

[fish_food]

Boaters shouldnt share in the burden because the guys that give out the stickers dont even look at your boat? When I got mine the guy never went outside so how is this going to prevent the mussels from spreading? ITS NOT! Its another B.S. way to generate money. Can anyone say that they didnt see it coming? It was obvious from the start.

Boaters have a responsibility to do what they can to prevent infestation. Municipal/County officials have a responsibility to properly administer or oversee their programs. If they have BS program then they need to be called on it.

[Ringer]

"Never fail to take advantage of a crisis" comes to mind. We have had them in Pleasant for years and have no controls whatsoever so I would guess they are in all of our lakes. The sky has not fallen and the bass are still there. I never understood how they could control a wakeboat with a bladder full of lake water. Do they ever really dry out? Sounds like a way to have a new tax without the hassle of a vote. Better get that swine flu shot before everyone dies.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

So now an inspection will be required monthly, rather than once a year..A boat that was inspected the first part of the month could easily go into infested waters, transfer the pests, be cleaned up and still pass for the next months inspection..If it can happen, it will..Of course the yearly inspection was really nothing but a farce from what I saw..Rarely did an actual inspection take place..Cost wise, it isn't all that big of a deal..The time required to do a proper inspection may be a pain though..I guess we will just have to wait and see if this goes through, and learn to live with it if it does..

mac

[lowerider]

Fish food I completely agree. We all should do what we can to try and stop the spread of these mussels. However like I said if the boats are never really being inspected it is a waste of our money. You are correct that the process needs to be done correctly to be at all effective. I guess we will see?

[Greg_Cornish]

The whole things is BS They'll be here when they get here and they won't cause any problems on Clear Lake except no-one will be able to charge for stickers any more.

They aren't causing much damage in the Great Lakes like they anticipated and some fisheries are much stronger than they were before. The doom and gloom predicted in New York with the water pipes never happened and local species that they were supposed to supplant still thrive. They are now just part of the ecosystem. After an initial big boom they died off to levels the locals hardly notice.

I've talked to biologists, Whitefishery presidents, game wardens and politicians. Its all a made up bunch of crap to get into your wallet. Clams are Clams.

[Ringer]

Are you saying the Game & Fish biologists would intentionally blow this thing out of proportion to create demand for their jobs? Say it ain't so! After say five years of the clam infestation here maybe someone will actually publish a study on how they had little or no impact on anything. The water still flows and the fishys still grows. Big sucker's game IMO.

[clearlakeoutdoors]

The only way its ever going to work is to have inspection stations on the four highways coming in.The cable system wont work unless there is someone enforcing on all the ramps .There is 11 free ramps, several pay ramps and 300 private ramps.As far as tackle shops not inspecting boats , most are not certified inspectors and are screening stations only(trying to screen out boats from infested waters)If you have seen photos of damage at infested waters you would understand why we dont want the mussels here.The damage to the water pumps alone will be very costly .
Dave

[Steve]

This would be a major mistake on behalf of all those entities who have a vested interest in the economy generated by Clear Lake.

The communities surrounding Clear Lake are smart, they know the primary force behind their economy is boaters and fishermen visiting Clear Lake. And they were very smart to provide free launching facilities, knowing full and well that many lakes charge outrageous fees for a day of fishing. The lack of fees and free launching at Clear Lake is a major factor when deciding where to go fishing or boating, and I assume vested interests knew this when planning.

Now, implement this cable thing along with the associated hassles and added fees, and guess what? Fishing or boating Clear Lake isnt at the top of the list anymore, for many of us it would be just as economical, and less of a pain in the butt, to just visit a place closer to us that has a bunch of fees.

Cable system=less man hours on Clear Lake=decreased revenue for a county that has a fragile economy.

[Greg_Cornish]

If you have seen photos of damage at infested waters you would understand why we dont want the mussels here.The damage to the water pumps alone will be very costly .
Dave

I checked it out Dave. If any precautions have been taken at all (which is few), they have installed chlorine injectors at the source of the intake. Then during the low usage hours injected chlorine into the intakes at the source which is sucked into the pipes which kills the adults and Larva, keeping them free of Zebra and Quagga Mussel. It cost very little and they don't need to use any more chemicals to treat water than they already do.

In every case Monroe Michigan is held up as a shining example of what can happen.

As early as 1989 the city of Monroe, Michigan lost its total water supply for 72 hours due to Zebra Mussel infestation. Since then major, losses of production and costs of clean-up and treatment have occurred through every type of water user.

72 hours, oh gee. Any other towns lose water? No! Monroe Michigan had an antiquated water system that should have been replace 20 year before it was plugged. Since then they have corrected the problem. This got them off their lazy butts to fix it.

A CDFG representative was on the forums once and claimed these three points.

1. The reason Minnesota (10,000 lakes) had all that water that bordered the Great Lakes and only had 4 lakes infested was because of their very aggressive outreach program.

He didn't count on someone on here being from Minnesota who visited there twice a year who'd nephew was a recent governor of that state and with a brother who was the former President of the game wardens union four terms running and a Minnesota Legislator. They are bother environmentally minded. I asked them about the aggressive outreach program and they said, "Huh? I think there are signs around the lakes at the ramps that say, "Don't transport veligers."

I looked the next time I was home. It was a joke. If you went up to the signs that hadn't been backed over by a pickup and took a rag and scrubbed it, you saw something that was bleached out that might have said that.

2. Then the DFG said, "The Commercial White Fishing industry has all but collapsed in the Great Lakes." I wrote to Ronald E. Kinnunen, Michigan Sea Grant Extension who has a large stake in the Whitefishing Industry.

Dear Mr Kinnunen, In California there is general hysteria present with the introduction of the Quagga mussel. Several popular lakes and Reservoirs have been closed to boating and fishing with threats of more closures to come. I am not disputing that the introduction of non native species of any animal is bad. I agree with that. I am, however, on the hunt for opinion from your area, since all the hysteria on the Quagga mussel out here is being based on hearsay from the Great Lakes and inland waters in the mid-west affected by Zebra Mussel. Here is a quote from the game warden and biologist out here in our area. "As far as the fishery in the Great Lakes, the white fish population, which is an important commercial fishery has all but collapsed, and native birds are dying by the thousands." I am from Minnesota originally. I still stay in touch with folks back there. My Nephew is a former Governor of Minnesota and My brother is a retired conservation officer and is currently a state representative. He has put me in touch with a biologist in Minnesota who works for the state. This biologist and my brother while admitting the Zebra are a nuisance, shows no real alarm. The biologist out here however, also states: Minnesota has a very, very aggressive public outreach campaign that is being looked at by most of the western states as the model to follow. To date only 4 of their 10,000+ lakes have been infested. Some of that is due to biological limitations, but a lot has to do with knowledgeable boaters doing what they are supposed to be doing. My brother the State rep who works with Fish and game never heard of this very aggressive outreach program and I don't think the boaters in Minnesota are any different than anywhere else in the U.S. What I'd like your opinion on is; "Has the Whitefish population all but collapsed in Lake Michigan due to Zebra Mussel?" Greg Cornish

He responded:

Greg,
I have been involved with a study on Lake Michigan whitefish which has focused on their condition. The lake whitefish in the Great Lakes has not collapsed. It still remains our main commercial fishery.

In some areas of Lakes Michigan and Huron the major food source for lake whitefish has collapsed--diaporia which is like a small shrimp that lives on the bottom of the lakes. Some feel the disappearance of diaporia may be related to the invasion of zebra and quagga mussels. Since diaporia have disappeared the lake whitefish has turned to other food sources such as small zebra and quagga mussels which is not the best diet. This has resulted in changes to the lake whitefish fatty acid composition. The desirable omega-3 fatty acids have dropped in lake whitefish from these areas. The growth and condition of lake whitefish has dropped off but the population has not collaped and there still is a viable commercial fishery.

We have well over 100 inland lakes infested with zebra mussels in the state of Michigan. This has not been due to lack of public outreach of which I am a part of. With our 3200 miles of Great Lakes shoreline in Michigan it is not hard to imagine the movement of boats and fish gear from the Great Lakes to inland lakes. To compare this to Minnesota where the only Great Lake they have is Lake Superior. And zebra and Quagga mussels do not do well in this lake because of the lack of substantial phytoplankton for food and also the low calcium levels needed to build their shells. So I don't think that Minnesota can claim that they have a better outreach program than we do in Michigan. Look at a map and you can see the difference between these two Great Lakes states. Most of our zebra mussels are in Lakes Erie, Huron, and Michigan. So our chances of an inland lake invasion are much greater than Minnesota can even realize.
The bird die offs have been related to botulism poisoning. Probably a link to dead zebra mussels and round gobies that eat zebra mussels and become contaminated with botulism, and the birds eating the Gobi.

If you wish to discuss this in further detail please feel free to give me a call. I should be in my office Tuesday and Friday of this week.
Hope this helps.
Ron

So CDFG are using theory and guesses to spread hysteria without knowing the facts. Since the initial infestation of the Zebra Mussel which I will confessed was epic in some areas and filled some beaches with photo ops of lots of shells, the populations have decreased and maintained a level that doesn't cause much harm. They are not even noticed any longer. They have become a source of food for non native gobies with have become a source of food for Walleyes, Northern Pike, Small Mouth Bass and Salmon and these fisheries are better than anything on record.

Claim three was the water pipes. My bother in laws who all live on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario all heard the sky was going to fall and the water was going to be shut off. It never materialized. All news about it went quiet.

I asked him if they killed off the local clams and crayfish. (the mussels arrived in 1985) He said, "No, They are in all the finger lakes I fish and there is just as many native clams and crawdads as ever.

The people who you finds promoting this BS have a stake in it. Your local DFG people are just regurgitating what comes down the pike to them. None of them have done as much research as I have. They are telling you what their bosses are telling them to tell us.

Remember, researchers make money off grants. If there's a problem there's more research needed. If there is no problem, there's no research.

I have a Quagga sticker on each side of my boat. I'll obey the rule, but I don't have to believe it. I don't believe the Quagga will be a problem when they get here. The Lake County Board of Supervisors should get off their butts and find out what needs to be done to the Lakes intake systems, should they arrive and be ready, but it'll be easier to point fingers and say "I told you so!"

Someone showed up at a bass club meeting and passed photos of a boat trailer full of quagga mussels. WTF? Who would leave their boat trailer under water long enough for a Quagga mussel build-up. No-one questioned it. Quagga Mussel don't build up on dry trailers.

[kopper_bass]

I have to admit, i went and fished clear lake many times this year and just totally forgot about the dang sticker. i know its required, but i just never thought about it. My 2008 sticker is on there, and only last month while staring at my boat while waiting for the steaks on the grill to finish did i even realize it.

As a boater, i do my part to ensure my boat is always clean and dry, thats all i can do. But if i can fish all year long and never even once get noticed, there are hundreds of others who also do it who dont give a crap about clean and dry. even other fisherman never said anything to me.

The inspection program at Clear Lake is a joke as it is now and this new proposal won't be any better; its destined to be a revenue killer. It wont stop guys from fishing it during the peak months, but talk about no revenue in the winter? Nobody in their right mind would spend the extra bucks each month to go fish there when your just praying for a bite during those cold months. i'll keep the 10 bucks, and fish the Delta.

just my .02
Kopper_Bass

[bassbooger]

The communities surrounding Clear Lake are smart, they know the primary force behind their economy is boaters and fishermen visiting Clear Lake. And they were very smart to provide free launching facilities, knowing full and well that many lakes charge outrageous fees for a day of fishing.

Clear Lake is held in Public Trust by the State of California. California Department of Waterways built the public launch facilities around the lake to ensure the public had 24/7 access to this natural lake. State funds (our taxes) were used to build these facilities and state tax general funds are allocated to the town/city where these facilities are located each month/year for maintenance and improvements. The Lake County Supervisors considered charging launching fees to produce revenue for the county recently, but the state informed them any funds collected for such purpose would go directly to the state, not the county. The state would determine how these funds were used, hence, that proposal was dropped. Now the county has come up with this proposal, which, in my opinion, is basically to generate more revenue to enforce the initial ordinance, but it falls short on justification. With the economy as it is, plus the impact of the recent algae problem during the peak tourism season, it may only deter boaters from coming to Lake County. Where is the annual report about the first year of the ordinance? Where did the funds go? Who monitored boat inspectors? How was the ordinance enforced? The ordinance has been in effect since April 8, 2008... 1.5 years. Are the Lake County Supervisors now realizing there is money to be made after all this time??

[bassrippin365]

We must not forget about the mitten crabs.These little fella's was supposed to burrow so many holes in the levies out on the delta causing them to fail. It hasn't happen yet but eventually the delta we'll be just one big lake.

[ash]

We must not forget about the mitten crabs.These little fella's was supposed to burrow so many holes in the levies out on the delta causing them to fail. It hasn't happen yet but eventually the delta we'll be just one big lake.

Naw they are combating that by building the Canal to move all the water down south...

[Rodney]

Lake County residents would continue to be issued a sticker good for the entire time the boat is in the county. To receive a resident sticker, the boater would have to provide proof that the boat is registered in the county. Giusti said he hopes the new system will be in place and operational by Jan. 1.

who would enforce this.what would keep a lake county resident from going to lake mead and return home with their boat with no other inspection for the year.how would they know the boat was in the lake county area the entire time ?.they want outsiders to pay for their cost of dealing with this problem.every lake i have have ben to bass fisherman are singled out because we have live wells in our boats.wake board boats have 300 gallon balast tanks.you can educate everyone about this problem however they are going to make you pay for it.its the california way.


i have done work for water districs in california for 22 years.the zebbra has ben in our water supply for years no one cared untill they got out of hand.now we have the quagga.this problem is going to get worse and they are going to make us pay for it.this subject realy pisses me off.

[DanIsaac]

The communities surrounding Clear Lake are smart, they know the primary force behind their economy is boaters and fishermen visiting Clear Lake. And they were very smart to provide free launching facilities, knowing full and well that many lakes charge outrageous fees for a day of fishing.

Clear Lake is held in Public Trust by the State of California. California Department of Waterways built the public launch facilities around the lake to ensure the public had 24/7 access to this natural lake. State funds (our taxes) were used to build these facilities and state tax general funds are allocated to the town/city where these facilities are located each month/year for maintenance and improvements. The Lake County Supervisors considered charging launching fees to produce revenue for the county recently, but the state informed them any funds collected for such purpose would go directly to the state, not the county. The state would determine how these funds were used, hence, that proposal was dropped. Now the county has come up with this proposal, which, in my opinion, is basically to generate more revenue to enforce the initial ordinance, but it falls short on justification. With the economy as it is, plus the impact of the recent algae problem during the peak tourism season, it may only deter boaters from coming to Lake County. Where is the annual report about the first year of the ordinance? Where did the funds go? Who monitored boat inspectors? How was the ordinance enforced? The ordinance has been in effect since April 8, 2008... 1.5 years. Are the Lake County Supervisors now realizing there is money to be made after all this time??

IMHO, you bet they are. Do I believe everyone involved is corrupt? NO! Absolutely not. I know all of the tackle shops did what they were supposed to do, SCREEN potential problem boats.

Problem is, there is a problem with that. The program is configured around TRUSTING individuals. There goes any accountability whatsoever. Where has all of the money already collected gone? I've already been called on this, and I'll just ask what I asked them. Why is it unacceptable for someone to ask the question? hmmmmm

Accountability should be among the first objectives, as NO PROGRAM will work or be accepted by the boating public without it.

Just for the record, I have no problem paying for an inspection if that is what it takes. This however, is not a solution, or even close to one in my opinion, and it will be a long while before I ever trust a "coaliton of government agencies".

My .02

Dan

[Jay Rowan]

I sat in on the last meeting where all this was discussed and with the adjustments talked about above the County is attempting to fix some of the deficiencies in the program, while making it reasonable for boaters. Not an easy thing to do. As far as I could tell from the last meeting it was a fairly open forum for discussion. Everything that I've read here questioning the program (except the ducks and birds) was discussed at length and the group is trying to address all the concerns of boaters, but at the same time they would be irresponsible if they did not take some measures to try and stop an infestation in the lake. It's not going to be a perfect program in everyone’s eyes by any means. If you folks as anglers keep posting what your concerns are, I'll bring them up in the meetings so long as they are something that can be accomplished (ducks won't be inspected) and move the process along in a manner that would make the program better. The County representatives seemed to be very aware of the feelings by many of this being a "money grab" and of the ineffectiveness of the current program, so they are trying to make it better. The fact that you'll have to get re-inspected (and pay $10.00) every month is really not much of a change, the change is more in their ability to enforce inspections using a band that would be easy for the S.O. and compliance inspectors at ramps (which have started in Lake Port) to identify as expired. In the current program you are supposed to get re-inspected every time your boat leaves then re-enters the county. There just isn't any way to check that anyone is doing it. This way they would get inspected at least once a month which probably covers the first trip to back to the lake in that month for the vast majority of boaters. Realistically how many people are going to go to CL then drive down to Havasu or one of the So. Cal lakes then back to CL in the same month? Some but not too many, and if you do you then you should be taking the personal responsibility to do the right thing and take 5 min to dry your boat out. As for wake boats (any boat with ballast), mandatory decon. of ballasts, and mandatory decon of moored/very dirty boats was discussed at length in the last meeting, so this is not targeting bass fisherman it is targeting boats because they are the most likely vector for infestation of this lake.

[biteme]

I think they need to figure out a way to inspect wake board boats first. Until then they need to relax. Bass fishermen are very proud of our boats and always make sure they are cleaned up.

[Wolfeman]

We did this dance with the Mitten Crab. That thing was surely going to take over the entire Delta.
I think the stripers found them quite tasty.
- Wolfeman

[Greg_Cornish]

I studied up on the bird thing and birds are not very good transporters for long distances because the veligers can't live out of water very long. I read a scientific study and birds couldn'tt even transport them further than ten feet very well.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Stop focusing on inspections - start focusing on education
2. Start focusing on what the effects might be on the municipal water supplies and have a plan in place - they will be here!
3. Conduct scientific studies to see if the chemical balances of Clear Lake will even support quagga life. Wouldn't it be a gas if we found out the chemical balance of Clear Lake won't support them. OOPS!

The lake chemistry is key to their life support.

[CATCHEMCARO]

What they need to do is charge all boater $20.00 as they exit lakes that already have the mussels. The $20.00 can cover the big red mussel logos they paint all over the boat. Then you'll know what boats to charge for a little sticker each time they visit our lakes that have no mussels yet.
Rich

[jimmy87]

I studied up on the bird thing and birds are not very good transporters for long distances because the veligers can't live out of water very long. I read a scientific study and birds couldn'tt even transport them further than ten feet very well.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Stop focusing on inspections - start focusing on education
2. Start focusing on what the effects might be on the municipal water supplies and have a plan in place - they will be here!
3. Conduct scientific studies to see if the chemical balances of Clear Lake will even support quagga life. Wouldn't it be a gas if we found out the chemical balance of Clear Lake won't support them. OOPS!

The lake chemistry is key to their life support.

You do not think a bird can move an adult mussel?

We had inpections on lakes here that they have now determinded are not capable of supporting quagga.


They say a bird can not move them. however they do tell us in their guagga education test our dog CAN move them

how can that be?

[Steve]

I studied up on the bird thing and birds are not very good transporters for long distances because the veligers can't live out of water very long. I read a scientific study and birds couldn'tt even transport them further than ten feet very well.

I would like to see where you got that info. Veligers cant live out of water very long. However, they are microscopic and need very little water to survive an extended period. Knowing what I know about birds, and having shot my share of ducks, I can tell you that the belly feathers of water based birds hold plenty of water to keep a veliger alive. How long I dont know. But given the speed with which a duck flies, I would think a duck can make it from an infected CO River impoundment to an uninfected CA impoundment carrying viable veligers. I could be wrong, I havent done my research, but thats just my knee jerk reaction to that issue.

[Greg_Cornish]

I studied up on the bird thing and birds are not very good transporters for long distances because the veligers can't live out of water very long. I read a scientific study and birds couldn'tt even transport them further than ten feet very well.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Stop focusing on inspections - start focusing on education
2. Start focusing on what the effects might be on the municipal water supplies and have a plan in place - they will be here!
3. Conduct scientific studies to see if the chemical balances of Clear Lake will even support quagga life. Wouldn't it be a gas if we found out the chemical balance of Clear Lake won't support them. OOPS!

The lake chemistry is key to their life support.

You do not think a bird can move an adult mussel?

We had inpections on lakes here that they have now determinded are not capable of supporting quagga.


They say a bird can not move them. however they do tell us in their guagga education test our dog CAN move them

how can that be?

No I'm not saying they can't. I'm saying (from the studies I've read) it highly unlikely the can transport them over long distances because of the drying effect. However it did seem like a hodunk study.

[Greg_Cornish]

I studied up on the bird thing and birds are not very good transporters for long distances because the veligers can't live out of water very long. I read a scientific study and birds couldn'tt even transpor Tuesday them further than ten feet very well.

I would like to see where you got that info. Veligers cant live out of water very long. However, they are microscopic and need very little water to survive an extended period. Knowing what I know about birds, and having shot my share of ducks, I can tell you that the belly feathers of water based birds hold plenty of water to keep a veliger alive. How long I dont know. But given the speed with which a duck flies, I would think a duck can make it from an infected CO River impoundment to an uninfected CA impoundment carrying viable veligers. I could be wrong, I havent done my research, but thats just my knee jerk reaction to that issue.

I'm typing from an iPhone 2000 miles from home right now. At home I have a 1 terraybyte HD half filled with unorganized crap. When I return I'll do my best to find it and link to all the data I found. I may have already linked it on this site previosly.

I found it on google and if I can't find the PDF on my drive I'll re-google it.

I lean toward agreeing with you however. I think birds transport more invasive species from lake to lake than any other animal next to man. I think that includes other animal life.

[Greg_Cornish]

Try googling "do birds transport mussels" this is the first link I found. http://books.google.com/books?id=m2wVR0 ... mdV4&hl=en

here's another. Might be what I read before, might not.

http://nsgl.gso.uri.edu/ohsu/ohsug92002.pdf

[Jay Rowan]

The water chemistry studies have been done, CL along with most of our lakes in CA have plenty of Calcium and other salts necessary to support the mussels. I believe that CL was put into one of the high risk categories because of it's calcium levels. Lots of relatively young marine sediments in the mountains on the west side of the valley.
Birds are a very unlikely vector, epically the distance they would need to go from an infected water body. Your dog, as well as a duck I would imagine could stay wet for what a day out of the water? So make sure you dry your dog before you take it swimming in CL after coming from Havasu. The Quagga/Zebra really aren't that tough of a critter in the veliger life stage, which probably helps explain why more water bodies in CA haven't been infected. Once they settle and form shells it's a different matter and that's where you start hearing about the 30 days out of water stuff. Most waterbodies in CA are "day use" types of places that get day use type of boats. The proposed program at CL recognizes this and assigns a sort of risk factor to your boat. Moored boat from Havasu, probably will have attached mussels on it and it will be out of the counties hands, DFG will quarantine it. Moored boat from say the delta, if dirty, gets cleaned then inspected, already cleaned by owner, just an inspection. Day use boat from So. Cal or out of state inspected and maybe some level of decon. to water holding areas, day use from a known non-infested area Clean and dry, no problem, not clean and dry there may be some level of decon. needed. Bottom line for a day use boater, keep it clean and dry and there's no worries. What happens if it's raining? Don't know where they want to go with that yet, I would imagine it will go back to the risk factor of where your boat is from and where it's been.

Education and outreach is a big component of the County and the States programs. Is this anyone's first time hearing about it?
From what I understand the county has plans to spend a significant % of the money collected on education and outreach. It's all about layers of protection that hopefully stop someone from transporting them somewhere along the way.
That being said at lake inspections can be effective. There have been a couple of boats with attached mussels stopped on the ramps and subsequently quarantined at Lake Tahoe just this year. Maybe they will get here despite all our prevention efforts, maybe not, but does that mean we should just throw up our hands and quit? People die from Cancer but they still give chemo. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. The Doc. still does their best to stop it with the tools they have.

I'm sure the water providers have improvements on their radar, but do they have any money to do it? Not likely with out rate increases. Prevention is going to be much cheaper in the long run with how much water we move in this state. From what I read on the side of I-5 "food grows where water flows", and from my experience taking water samples up and down the San Joaquin Valley, that water doesn't just "flow", it's pumped by thousands of pumps. I'm pretty sure tomatoes don't do too well with chlorinated water, so that means some other way to treat, or dechlorinating before it hits the fields. Either way big $$$ to support big ag. The cost for municipalities will be a pittance comparatively.

Even if you think what I'm saying above is scare tactics or worst case, it doesn't really matter you can look at the pictures of clogged pipes and make up your own mind about how it could impact this state. The bottom line is this program is in place and changes to it are going to happen by the first of the year. The best thing to do at this point as anglers is to provide input at the front end to help make it as quick and painless as possible at the lake so we don't wind up with a program that has little basis in scientific fact and is very unfriendly to boaters like an unnamed lake down south.

[bassbooger]

Here is the latest news...

Invasive Species Council presents quagga protocol
By Katy Sweeny -- Staff reporter
Updated: 12/03/2009 10:24:04 PM PST


LAKEPORT Out-of-county boaters should be required to have their boats screened monthly and possibly inspected and decontaminated in order launch in Lake County, the Invasive Species Council agreed Thursday.

The council will present the protocol for quagga and zebra mussel prevention and vessel reinspection to the Lake County Board of Supervisors at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. The council and board aims to implement the program Jan. 1. Quagga and zebra mussels kill off native species, damage boats and piers and can block water pipes used for agriculture and drinking water. According to authorities there has never been a lake where the quagga mussels have been successfully eradicated.

The red screening sticker program will remain the same for vessels registered in Lake County.

The protocol would require non-resident boats to get monthly screenings to check whether the boats have been in infested waters or counties and if the vessels are clean and dry. Out-of-county boats that pass would get bright-colored sturdy bands that designate use for a certain month. Monthly screening for out-of-county vessels would include a walk-around to ensure the boat is clean, drained and dry.

Boaters will continue to sign an affidavit promising their responses are true and they haven't been in mussel-infested waterways and counties.

"It's a wide-open honors system," Melissa Fulton of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce said.

If boats don't pass screening, the screener would call a certified inspector to look underneath the vessel and in all areas that may contain water to verify the boat doesn't have veligers, baby mussels, or visible mussels.
Boats found at risk that have not passed decontamination would be denied access to the lake.

Jason Roberts, environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Game, said with this program, "We're making it 12 times better."

The Department of Fish and Game will only quarantine vessels found to have adult mussels.

The program would be enforced in Clear Lake, Lake Pillsbury, Indian Valley Reservoir, the Blue Lakes and Highland Spring Reservoir.

Screening costs $10 $7 goes to the county for administrative costs and $3 goes to the screener. Inspection costs range from $15 to $40 depending on the size of the boat.

The council agreed vessels that don't easily carry veligers should be exempt from the standards, including canoes, kayaks, rowboats, float tubes, rafts, wind surfers and boogey boards.

University of California adviser Greg Giusti asked that council members and concerned citizens come to the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday in the County Courthouse at 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport.

Contact Katy Sweeny at ksweeny@record-bee.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.

[Tin Can]

It's a wide-open honors system


FAIL!


They can act as if they are doing something here, but until they are actually inspecting boats, it's going to to remain a sticker selling program and NOT an inspection program.

CL is getting the mussels, I have no doubt about that. You can't expect everyone to just be honest, unfortunately not everyone is.

[DanIsaac]

Jason Roberts, environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Game, said with this program, "We're making it 12 times better."

This is the most ridiculous claim I've heard in the last 24 hrs from our Fish and Game Dept. What you made 12 times better is the income into the pockets of Lake County, PERIOD! Wait till the lil suckers get into the lake! Who do you think will pay for that?
IN SPADES!

I'm sorry fellas but between what's going on in the Delta and now here, our State officials, most of which are elected, but in this case EDUCATED, have their collective heads up their arses! Arses for the record, is a Cooch-a-tive, hope you don't mind me borrowing Andy!

You want to stop mussels than really do something about it! Don't insult my intelligence and tell me this is twelve times better! Just tell me your going to charge me once a month if I'm there!

Dan

[JT-Madera]

CAn someone tell where I might acquire five pounds of live mussels..since the only way to really stop the government from enforcing this fee would be to introduce the mussels to CL... besides, maybe the smallmouth would flourish in the clearer water and the lake would stop smelling like a sewer..

jt

[bassbooger]

If you look at the initial ordinance when it first became effective April 8, 2008, along with the revisions afterwards, the wording clearly stated vessels leaving Lake County, whether it be locals, or visitors, were required to have their vessels rescreened upon returning to Lake County prior to launching.

I've spoke with several screeners around Clear Lake since the inception of the ordinance. Not one had a return vessel for screening... not one.

What does this tell me?

It tells me either there is a misunderstanding of the ordinance, or the affidavit is worthless.

It also tells me there has been no consistent enforcement of the ordinance, or is it the inability of Lake County law enforcement to fully understand how to enforce it properly?

After more than 1.5 years, the county just now realizes the good faith program is not working, and now they are going to implement this change?

Why only to non-county vessels, and not include locals?

And they are going to change which type of vessels require this monthly tag?

It appears they're only targeting recreational and bass boats, because they are simply the majority of non-county vessels visiting Lake County.

All in all... what can we do?

Welcome to Lake County.

[Jay Rowan]

"This is the most ridiculous claim I've heard in the last 24 hrs from our Fish and Game Dept. What you made 12 times better is the income into the pockets of Lake County, PERIOD! Wait till the lil suckers get into the lake! Who do you think will pay for that?
IN SPADES!"
Seriously? $10.00 a month to launch your boat in one of the best bass lakes in the world doesn't seem like such a bad deal to me. I drop more than that every single time I go to the Delta, Folsom, Oroville etc. for the privilege of using a dirt ramp and parking my rig. If someone knows where I can get a $10.00 a month pass for Folsom I'll take 5 years worth.

He said it is 12 times better, because right now it's only a once per year deal because with the way the program is there is no way to insure that boats coming in go through the process when they leave then come back. Now a boat will need to go through at least once every month, so it is "12 times better" than it is currently. Not perfect, but there is no way to do that without big $$$$ and a great deal of inconvenience to the boating public. A lot of context was lost in the sound bite.
It's a huge lake with over 600 launches and little money for the program, the screeners get $3.00 per boat. Their pretty much volunteers so asking them to close up their store, hotel desk, etc. and go out and fully "inspect" a boat isn't going to happen. Several of the current screeners said as much at the last meeting, and if they were required to do that they would drop out of the program. The screening isn't much different than what you go through at EBMUD lakes, except they don't actually look in your boat for water from your melted ice every time. Not ideal but it's better than nothing.
It would be a huge improvement if the screeners would go and do a quick walk around to verify what the person was saying. Hopefully it's still on the table even if some screeners drop out. This new band is supposed to cost significantly less than the stickers, and they should be selling a lot more of them, so hopefully they can make it worth the screeners while to do a walk around and have early hours.

The other way they could go is to try and fully eliminate the risk and close all but 3-4 ramps and go to mandatory inspection and decon. for every boat by a private contractor at 40-50+ bucks a boat, with 8am to 5 pm hours. They are just trying to use some common sense with the approach given the limitations. If you read through the whole program it actually strikes a decent balance between reducing risk and ease of use for the average day use boater (so long as they can figure out a way to have screeners available early am. If not, I reserve the right to strike that last statement.)
Also remember this is a county program not a DFG program. DFG is there for technical input and to try and represent anglers the best we can.
They will be introducing it to the Lake Co. Board of sups on Tuesday in Lakeport for anyone that want's to put in their 2 cents.

[Robert F]

Questions about points made above.
If a bird is unable to transport the veliger how is the outside hull of a day use boat supposed to do the same? Ag inspection rubs their hand down the side of the boat. Why? Aren't they dead if they are dry per the bird theory? or is the bird theory dead because they do not carry wallets.

If the livewells have been drained and dried when leaving contaminated water and still dry because the lids have been closed when it rains how would a rainy day affect whether a boat from a contaminated County passes inspection?

I disagree with the justification of the fee based on the cost to use another water. Not every launch facility on the lake is free.

If the bands cost "significantly" less than the stickers why is the monthly inspection going to cost the same? Certainly seems the amount of the fee is more important than the cost of the program.

[brambo0311]

Bottom line is there just trying to make money on bass fishermen since we don't support the lake county economy by purchasing meth. I have got the sticker for 3 different boats the last two years and nobody ever looked at my boat or anything. Even after saying I have been in havasu. They just take the money and give you sticker, they don't inspect a thing. Doubt any of them even know what there suposed to look for.

[offduty]

Bottom line is the program does not look for the quagga so that makes it as useful as a screen door in a submarine. It is possible to do this right but that will take more time and considerably more logistics. As valuable a resource as that lake is you would think they would do things right as their economy counts on our money quite a bit. Just realize that if you want to really protect that lake bass fishermen will be more inconvenienced. so the question is are you willing to spend more time to protect Clear lake from quaggas or pay $10.00 a month to fish there and just have to talk about where you have been. If I am going up for a while It would not bother me at all for a full inspection even if it costs more but the tourney guys that jump from lake to lake will not want to deal with the inconvenience.

Birds obviously can transport them but since no biologists have followed all the birds from lake to lake looking for microscopic veligers they deny that it is possible for the birds to transport them. Give me a break it is not logistically possible to do a study to find that out. How are they gonna inspect a wake board boat with a ballast tank? Odds are higher that a wake board boat could transport them than anything I can think of.

The panic button has been pushed and all the water boards are jumping on the bandwagon. Why are there reports that the great lakes have improved as fisheries since quagga infestation? Why do we call something an invasive species? Species migrate too just like us, plants and animals. Its called evolution and the migration of species, its part of life. The area I live in is trying to bring the steelhead back up the Ventura river and they have been gone for 10's of years. Last thing I found out was once they are gone for 5 they do not come back and it is bred out of the small amount that is left. Not that the water is there to facilitate them in the first place. Yet still we spend money we can not afford too because of some bleeding hearts that do not have the intellect to think beyond their overly sensitive emotions.

People resist change, always have and always will. The quaggas will be here soon enough no matter what we do. So if they can clog water systems then that should be where research is focused to keep our water flowing when they are in our water systems. It is just a matter of time so we should prevent as much as we can but prepare for the inevitable and learn to accept change. What are the options more government and taxes because of quaggas? Do you honestly think any water boards are going to allocate any tag money to research how to keep their pipes from clogging? No they are going to line their pockets and if the problem gets bad enough we will have a new bunch of bureaucrats that are part of a task force to deal with the problem and your taxes will go up to pay for it.

By the way goby's and yellow perch eat the quagga and the less plankton in the water the deeper the sunlight penetrates to facilitate plankton growth. I studied this stuff in depth during the Casitas fiasco and there are major universities that did in depth studies years ago and their reports can be found with a google search. The Clear lake system was probably implemented because someone brought up some info about what was going on at other lakes and then they look to the DFG for info too. Thing is the studies were done years ago and lakes have been infected for tens of years and those lakes are still fine and some better but lack of thorough research and fact gathering and relying on DFG for that info when this has already happened so there is no need for speculation is a big part of the problem. But people like to feel important and there is always someone ready to tell you what you need to do. Damn maybe that is why my post is so long. I had a ripper of a fire today I am going to bed.

Rich

[Jay Rowan]

Questions about points made above.
If a bird is unable to transport the veliger how is the outside hull of a day use boat supposed to do the same? Ag inspection rubs their hand down the side of the boat. Why? Aren't they dead if they are dry per the bird theory? or is the bird theory dead because they do not carry wallets.

If the livewells have been drained and dried when leaving contaminated water and still dry because the lids have been closed when it rains how would a rainy day affect whether a boat from a contaminated County passes inspection?

I disagree with the justification of the fee based on the cost to use another water. Not every launch facility on the lake is free.

If the bands cost "significantly" less than the stickers why is the monthly inspection going to cost the same? Certainly seems the amount of the fee is more important than the cost of the program.

Out side of hull rub is looking for recently attached mussels. By the time they get to CL likley dead, just over the border from Havasu maybe, maybe not. Depends on temp and humidity.

Rain happens and it is one of the reasons for the screening or survey. What is on the table now is that boats from counties with contaminated waters, as well as boats that have been moored and are too dirty to be inspected properly, will be subjected to a stricter inspection process and possibly decontamination or refusal of launch.

My point on the cost is that complaining about $10.00 a month to launch and fish CL is a week argument against the program. True not every launch is free but there are a lot that are, and I can only think of a few other waterbodies in this state that are free to launch. The program has to be supported somehow.

As far as I know the band fee will stay the same. Of the $10.00, $3.00 goes to the screener, some amount goes to purchase the stickers and the rest goes to the county to support the program.
The County has the numbers as to where the money went, I don't have it at hand. They sold 8000 stickers last year so after the screeners get their cut that's 56K. That's not even enough to cover one position to run the program after the purchase of the stickers, outreach material, signs, etc. As to what actually happened with that 56K I have no idea. Through this whole process it has been brought up by the committee, particularly Terry Knight who wrote the article that the finances part needs to be very transparent and no one has disagreed. Carolan Ruttan at the County can tell you exactly where every dollar went. I think they would at least like to be able to cover the costs for their employees time working on it, and so far there is no way they have. The reason for going to the band (think hospital wrist band) from the sticker is to make it easier to be sure people get the inspection at least every month and not have 2 inches of multicolored stickers off the side of your boat and it's cheaper.

If anyone really thinks this is some money grab going after bass fisherman you should make your voice heard at the council meeting on Tuesday. If that were the case however, I assure you there are better ways of doing it. In fact it has been pretty much unanimously agreed upon by the folks in the committee that the bass anglers, particularly the tournament anglers, are the most knowledgeable group they have to work with, and therefore a lower risk, because they are organized and have been hearing about what they are supposed to do for several years now. FLW earned a lot of good will in that area for the inspections they did at their most recent tournament. The adjusted program as proposed is much stricter on boats with ballast tanks (wake boats, sail boats etc.) and moored boats.

[DanIsaac]

Questions about points made above.
If a bird is unable to transport the veliger how is the outside hull of a day use boat supposed to do the same? Ag inspection rubs their hand down the side of the boat. Why? Aren't they dead if they are dry per the bird theory? or is the bird theory dead because they do not carry wallets.

If the livewells have been drained and dried when leaving contaminated water and still dry because the lids have been closed when it rains how would a rainy day affect whether a boat from a contaminated County passes inspection?

I disagree with the justification of the fee based on the cost to use another water. Not every launch facility on the lake is free.

If the bands cost "significantly" less than the stickers why is the monthly inspection going to cost the same? Certainly seems the amount of the fee is more important than the cost of the program.

Out side of hull rub is looking for recently attached mussels. By the time they get to CL likley dead, just over the border from Havasu maybe, maybe not. Depends on temp and humidity.

Rain happens and it is one of the reasons for the screening or survey. What is on the table now is that boats from counties with contaminated waters, as well as boats that have been moored and are too dirty to be inspected properly, will be subjected to a stricter inspection process and possibly decontamination or refusal of launch.

My point on the cost is that complaining about $10.00 a month to launch and fish CL is a week argument against the program. True not every launch is free but there are a lot that are, and I can only think of a few other waterbodies in this state that are free to launch. The program has to be supported somehow.

As far as I know the band fee will stay the same. Of the $10.00, $3.00 goes to the screener, some amount goes to purchase the stickers and the rest goes to the county to support the program.
The County has the numbers as to where the money went, I don't have it at hand. They sold 8000 stickers last year so after the screeners get their cut that's 56K. That's not even enough to cover one position to run the program after the purchase of the stickers, outreach material, signs, etc. As to what actually happened with that 56K I have no idea. Through this whole process it has been brought up by the committee, particularly Terry Knight who wrote the article that the finances part needs to be very transparent and no one has disagreed. Carolan Ruttan at the County can tell you exactly where every dollar went. I think they would at least like to be able to cover the costs for their employees time working on it, and so far there is no way they have. The reason for going to the band (think hospital wrist band) from the sticker is to make it easier to be sure people get the inspection at least every month and not have 2 inches of multicolored stickers off the side of your boat and it's cheaper.

If anyone really thinks this is some money grab going after bass fisherman you should make your voice heard at the council meeting on Tuesday. If that were the case however, I assure you there are better ways of doing it. In fact it has been pretty much unanimously agreed upon by the folks in the committee that the bass anglers, particularly the tournament anglers, are the most knowledgeable group they have to work with, and therefore a lower risk, because they are organized and have been hearing about what they are supposed to do for several years now. FLW earned a lot of good will in that area for the inspections they did at their most recent tournament. The adjusted program as proposed is much stricter on boats with ballast tanks (wake boats, sail boats etc.) and moored boats.

Jay,

Like I said earlier, it's not about the $10, it about trying to tell someone that this is actually going to reduce risk, PERIOD!
IT ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT! Why? Because people LIE, end of story!

Dan

[Tin Can]

Questions about points made above.
If a bird is unable to transport the veliger how is the outside hull of a day use boat supposed to do the same? Ag inspection rubs their hand down the side of the boat. Why? Aren't they dead if they are dry per the bird theory? or is the bird theory dead because they do not carry wallets.

If the livewells have been drained and dried when leaving contaminated water and still dry because the lids have been closed when it rains how would a rainy day affect whether a boat from a contaminated County passes inspection?

I disagree with the justification of the fee based on the cost to use another water. Not every launch facility on the lake is free.

If the bands cost "significantly" less than the stickers why is the monthly inspection going to cost the same? Certainly seems the amount of the fee is more important than the cost of the program.

Out side of hull rub is looking for recently attached mussels. By the time they get to CL likley dead, just over the border from Havasu maybe, maybe not. Depends on temp and humidity.

Rain happens and it is one of the reasons for the screening or survey. What is on the table now is that boats from counties with contaminated waters, as well as boats that have been moored and are too dirty to be inspected properly, will be subjected to a stricter inspection process and possibly decontamination or refusal of launch.

My point on the cost is that complaining about $10.00 a month to launch and fish CL is a week argument against the program. True not every launch is free but there are a lot that are, and I can only think of a few other waterbodies in this state that are free to launch. The program has to be supported somehow.

As far as I know the band fee will stay the same. Of the $10.00, $3.00 goes to the screener, some amount goes to purchase the stickers and the rest goes to the county to support the program.
The County has the numbers as to where the money went, I don't have it at hand. They sold 8000 stickers last year so after the screeners get their cut that's 56K. That's not even enough to cover one position to run the program after the purchase of the stickers, outreach material, signs, etc. As to what actually happened with that 56K I have no idea. Through this whole process it has been brought up by the committee, particularly Terry Knight who wrote the article that the finances part needs to be very transparent and no one has disagreed. Carolan Ruttan at the County can tell you exactly where every dollar went. I think they would at least like to be able to cover the costs for their employees time working on it, and so far there is no way they have. The reason for going to the band (think hospital wrist band) from the sticker is to make it easier to be sure people get the inspection at least every month and not have 2 inches of multicolored stickers off the side of your boat and it's cheaper.

If anyone really thinks this is some money grab going after bass fisherman you should make your voice heard at the council meeting on Tuesday. If that were the case however, I assure you there are better ways of doing it. In fact it has been pretty much unanimously agreed upon by the folks in the committee that the bass anglers, particularly the tournament anglers, are the most knowledgeable group they have to work with, and therefore a lower risk, because they are organized and have been hearing about what they are supposed to do for several years now. FLW earned a lot of good will in that area for the inspections they did at their most recent tournament. The adjusted program as proposed is much stricter on boats with ballast tanks (wake boats, sail boats etc.) and moored boats.

Jay,

Like I said earlier, it's not about the $10, it about trying to tell someone that this is actually going to reduce risk, PERIOD!
IT ABSOULUTELY WILL NOT! Why? Because people LIE, end of story!

Dan

That's the bottom line right there Dan. You nailed it. It only take one boat with veligers in the livewell coming from infested waters to lie and it's game over.

Sadly, an honor system of any kind should never be used when dealing with the general public.

[big_limits]

There is only one way to stop the spread.That's to think in reverse. If launch your boat at an affected body of water, then you must be required to affix a permanent tag on your vessel. And to remove that vessel from those particular waters it must be put through a quarantine. so plain and simple... if you come from out of state or have an "infected" tag then you get inspected... am I far off here???

[Robert F]

Jay,
Thanks for the info and work on this matter. Unfortunately as one of the "infected" boaters I will not be able to drive 600 miles one way to attend the meeting. I tend to agree with some of the posters about some sort of "infected" tagging system. Problem is Lake County and others are going to need to send that 80 grand down to Havasu to pay for the program. Be certain they are not going to spend their money to protect your lake.
To just pigeon hole everybody from the South as infected is just plain wrong. My boat spends far less time on Southern waters than it does on Northern. I bet there are Northern boaters that fish Southern waters more than I do. Why should I be treated differently? My money says if Clear Lake gets infected it is by a resident that is not scrutinized by the authorities. I know the program is not perfect but as others have said, Why do anything if you are only doing it wrong?

[Tin Can]

There is only one way to stop the spread.That's to think in reverse. If launch your boat at an affected body of water, then you must be required to affix a permanent tag on your vessel. And to remove that vessel from those particular waters it must be put through a quarantine. so plain and simple... if you come from out of state or have an "infected" tag then you get inspected... am I far off here???

This is not a bad idea. The guys who fish the lakes that are infested will hate this though. There is also the possibility that there are lakes that have the mussels that they don't know about yet.

[big_limits]

I did say "if you launch your boat" not, if you live in southern cali. any ways...If someone had an honest plan that would work and benefit everyone as a whole, I would do it period. there is no way iwould cry "no fair" and "if i have to he has to". Thats a load of B.S. and part of the problem with most things in California right now.