Zebra mussels have invaded some of the waters in Minnesota, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is requesting that all watercraft being moved from one body of water to another be thoroughly cleaned. These freshwater mussels are an alien species from Eurasia that has no natural enemies in North America. They outcompete native species for food, grow fast, clog intake pipes, and cut swimmers' feet. They filter food out of water so efficiently that the clarity of the water column improves noticeably, but this in turn promotes weed growth. In short, they are a significant nuisance to human beings and a threat to native ecologies. The DNR recommends cleaning hulls, bilges, live wells, and motors of boats being moved from one lake to another using hot water or even steam cleaning. One recommended method is to take the boat through a car wash. A big problem is that though adult zebra mussels are fairly easily seen, the free-swimming larvae are not. So, does anyone have any advice on cleaning kayaks of zebra mussels? I am particularly concerned about built-in bilge pumps. There being no easy way to drain our built-in foot-operated pumps, I am concerned about transporting zebra mussel larvae inside them. I don't even know whether the inside of a built-in pump ever dries out during storage. Oh, the DNR also recommends drying your boat at least five days before putting it in another body of water, though adult zebra mussels have been observed in the lab to survive ten days out of water. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Chuck Holst wrote: > Zebra mussels have invaded some of the waters in Minnesota, and the > Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is requesting that all watercraft > being moved from one body of water to another be thoroughly cleaned. These > freshwater mussels are an alien species from Eurasia that has no natural > enemies in North America. They outcompete native species for food, grow > fast, clog intake pipes, and cut swimmers' feet. They filter food out of > water so efficiently that the clarity of the water column improves > noticeably, but this in turn promotes weed growth. In short, they are a > significant nuisance to human beings and a threat to native ecologies. > > > > The DNR recommends cleaning hulls, bilges, live wells, and motors of boats > being moved from one lake to another using hot water or even steam cleaning. > One recommended method is to take the boat through a car wash. A big problem > is that though adult zebra mussels are fairly easily seen, the free-swimming > larvae are not. So, does anyone have any advice on cleaning kayaks of zebra > mussels? I am particularly concerned about built-in bilge pumps. There being > no easy way to drain our built-in foot-operated pumps, I am concerned about > transporting zebra mussel larvae inside them. I don't even know whether the > inside of a built-in pump ever dries out during storage. > > > > Oh, the DNR also recommends drying your boat at least five days before > putting it in another body of water, though adult zebra mussels have been > observed in the lab to survive ten days out of water. > > > > Chuck Holst I'm afraid that these measures are mostly for appearances. The spread of zebra mussels and various types of freshwater weeds is pretty much inevitable. Unless someone comes up with an easy, foolproof way to clean your boat. Taking your boat through a car wash? Not in my part of the world: they won't allow them. And, even if they did, the local car washes don't use water hot enough to kill anything. And I doubt the soaps they use would do much either. I suppose you could wash your kayak in your yard with some kind of disinfectant wash, and run clean water through your bilge pump (making sure that the outflow water went onto a lawn or anywhere where it wasn't going into a storm drain or sewer.) But I have serious doubts that anyone is going to thoroughly wash a sixteen foot fishing boat and outboard -- even if there was a cheap disinfectant available. Hell, we can't even get people to buy into a proper hand washing on a regular basis to slow down the spread of infectious diseases, like the swine flue that's currently making headlines. I'd rather not spread invasive species, don't get me wrong. But one guy thoroughly cleaning his kayak -- compared to all those Seadoo and powerboat operators -- isn't going to really make much of a difference. You'll feel good about yourself; but I'm afraid that that will be about all. Maybe some scientist will announce a cheap and easy method of killing adult and larval mussels that we can all use. A cup of laundry bleach in a bucket of water, for example, that is pretty much guaranteed to kill anything that it contacts. In the meantime, spending hours washing my boat with dish soap and cold water, if we don't know for sure that is going to make any difference, isn't going to happen. For the record, I paddle regularly in the St. Lawrence river where the zebra mussels have taken a firm foothold, and also in various lakes and rivers in Ontario and Quebec where they have not (yet) been sighted. I try to rinse the boat out, but I can't even honestly say that I manage to do that every time. -- Darryl *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Darryl Johnson wrote: > > But I have serious doubts that anyone is going to thoroughly wash a > sixteen foot fishing boat and outboard -- even if there was a cheap > disinfectant available. Hell, we can't even get people to buy into a > proper hand washing on a regular basis to slow down the spread of > infectious diseases, like the swine flue that's currently making > headlines. > You're going to have to do more than just wash your hands to stop the H1N1. You need to be wearing a mask. This thing also transmits by air (you can breathe in the virus from an infectious person sneezing or coughing who doesn't cover their face). http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=3dcf5d9a-7ad0-46a4-80cc-f10708b99a96 Jackie (just getting over pneumonia... in the *summertime*!) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 10:58 AM, Chuck Holst <cholst_at_bitstream.net> wrote: > Zebra mussels have invaded some of the waters in Minnesota, Idaho, only about 70 miles east of me, is very concerned with Zebra mussels. They have videos of a person towing a boat up from Nevada (the Colorado River - and the lakes impounded behind the dams - are infested with Zebras) festooned with Zebras. The driver had no idea, apparently. A solution of bleach would probably kill the juvenile free-swimming form and it's probably a good idea to use that as a wipe-down and a soak in electric pumps. Lots of paddlers put their kayaks into a swimming pool to wash the salt off (and out) and since these are generally laced with chlorine that should be enough. It's almost certainly futile in the long run however. Unless, as some are suggesting, we implement state border inspection areas (like California does). Even then, how do you stop invasion of tributary waters of infested lakes? If you only paddle one waterway (as many Puget Sound kayakers do) then you need do nothing at all Kruger would probably have some insight on this. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> almost certainly futile in the long run however. We have a similar situation here in NZ, with a delightfully invasive river weed called 'rock-snot' (not, perhaps, in scientific circles). It seems to have been a gift from the Northern Hemisphere - probably on some trout fisherman's felt-soled river waders - which we have recently banned. (Closing the stable door...) When moving between waterways, we are now all washing our kayaks & gear (and any other road-mobile boats) in solutions of household bleach. Most people think this is environmental wishful-thinking, as the millions of water fowl are proving damn hard to train... Best Regards Paul Hayward Auckland, New Zealand *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Puget Sound like all salt waters kills any such mussels. So this issue is only for moving from one fresh water body to another. -----Original Message----- From: owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net] On Behalf Of Craig Jungers Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2009 5:34 PM To: Chuck Holst Cc: Paddlewise Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Kayaking with Zebra Mussels On Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 10:58 AM, Chuck Holst <cholst_at_bitstream.net> wrote: > Zebra mussels have invaded some of the waters in Minnesota, Idaho, only about 70 miles east of me, is very concerned with Zebra mussels. They have videos of a person towing a boat up from Nevada (the Colorado River - and the lakes impounded behind the dams - are infested with Zebras) festooned with Zebras. The driver had no idea, apparently. A solution of bleach would probably kill the juvenile free-swimming form and it's probably a good idea to use that as a wipe-down and a soak in electric pumps. Lots of paddlers put their kayaks into a swimming pool to wash the salt off (and out) and since these are generally laced with chlorine that should be enough. It's almost certainly futile in the long run however. Unless, as some are suggesting, we implement state border inspection areas (like California does). Even then, how do you stop invasion of tributary waters of infested lakes? If you only paddle one waterway (as many Puget Sound kayakers do) then you need do nothing at all Kruger would probably have some insight on this. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Craig Jungers wrote: > Kruger would probably have some insight on this. Yup. It is an impossible situation. They will get here; just a matter of time. BTW, (even diluted) chlorine bleach is way too harsh; try one of the perborate bleaches (so-called "color fast" laundry bleaches). Powerful enough to kill mussel larvae without eating metals up. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Thanks, Dave, and everyone else who replied. I like the perborate bleach recommendation; I'd certainly hate to corrode the spring in my foot pump! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BTW, (even diluted) chlorine bleach is way too harsh; try one of the perborate bleaches (so-called "color fast" laundry bleaches). Powerful enough to kill mussel larvae without eating metals up. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4295 (20090731) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
That's Didymosphaenia, and yes, it is a Northern hemisphere species of diatom. Strictly speaking it's not an invasive species in the US but one wherein something changed. It's a puzzler because it was known from only a few very low nutrient and cold streams in high mountains, e.g. along the continental divide in the US. How it ever changed/adapted to the variety of streams it has now infested remains unknown. It has certainly spread like wildfire in the US. In the last few years it's gotten to many NE rivers including such as the Battenkill, Esopus, and the Upper Delaware. And yes, those all are famous trout and fly fishing streams. Trout Unlimited at least, and some other groups, do think that felt soles could be the main culprit in spreading them. TU has been working hard not only to discourage the use of felt soles but also to develop specialized rubber compounds that will still afford a good grip on slippery rocks without a porous composition that could entrap the diatom for accidental transfer. Could this work? The best evidence so far is from New Zealand. A very strict program of thoroughly cleaning and decontaminating flyfishing gear there has kept infestations out of rivers other than the original ones... It wouldn't surprise me to see some paddlers' neoprene boots with the new rubber compounds out and around soon. Oh, one of the best sources for information on this subject can be gotten from the Federation of Fly Fishermen based in Montana. They have a CDROM of really good info on this subject and their website has a lot of info... Joe Pylka -----Original Message----- >From: Paul Hayward <pdh_at_mmcl.co.nz> >We have a similar situation here in NZ, with a delightfully invasive river >weed called 'rock-snot' (not, perhaps, in scientific circles). > >It seems to have been a gift from the Northern Hemisphere - probably on some >trout fisherman's felt-soled river waders - which we have recently banned. >(Closing the stable door...) > >When moving between waterways, we are now all washing our kayaks & gear (and >any other road-mobile boats) in solutions of household bleach. Most people >think this is environmental wishful-thinking, as the millions of water fowl >are proving damn hard to train... > >Best Regards >Paul Hayward Auckland, New Zealand >*************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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