If you have stored your boat in the water at a lake with invasive mussels, it is likely infested and poses an extremely high risk for moving these invasive species to a new lake. Remove plants, mud and debris, drain all the water from the boat and gear, and then open compartments once you get home and allow everything to dry completely for at least a week if possible. TPWD urges boaters to clean, drain and dry their boats and gear before traveling from lake to lake. Their larvae are microscopic and invisible to the naked eye, meaning they can be unknowingly transported by boats in residual water. Zebra mussels attach to boats, and anything left in the water, including anchors, and can survive for days out of water, often hiding in crevices where they may escape notice. “Each boater taking steps to clean and drain their boat before leaving the lake and allowing compartments and gear to dry completely when they get home can make a big difference in protecting our Texas lakes.”īecause zebra mussels are most often transported on or in boats, boaters play a critical role in preventing them from spreading to new lakes. “Unfortunately, zebra mussels have now spread to 34 Texas lakes, with 30 now fully infested, but there are far more lakes in Texas that still haven’t been invaded and are at risk,” said Brian Van Zee, TPWD Inland Fisheries Regional Director. Since Diversion Lake is immediately downstream of fully infested Medina Lake, downstream dispersal likely led to the infestation. Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District staff found numerous settled zebra mussels in the lake in July, indicating the presence of an established population. In early August of this year, City of Austin Watershed Protection biologists conducted shoreline searches for zebra mussels and found two adults in the lake, indicating the presence of an established population.Īdditionally, private-access Diversion Lake in Medina County is also now fully infested with zebra mussels. However, subsequent searches for settled mussels conducted as recently as 2021 did not detect any juveniles or adults. Long had already received a “positive” designation following the repeated detection of zebra mussel larvae in October 2018 and May 2019. Long in Travis County as “infested” with zebra mussels, signifying an established, reproducing population in the lake. “This is pretty disheartening for us and our many partners, including marinas, who work to prevent this invasive species from spreading – it’s two new river basins with infestations this year,” said Monica McGarrity, TPWD Aquatic Invasive Species team lead.AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has designated Lake Walter E. Additionally, they found several size classes of adult and juvenile mussels at two different sites in the lake, indicating the lake is infested with an established, reproducing population. On-site, biologists found the mussels attached to other nearby boats and on submerged marina infrastructure. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) biologists confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in Lake Travis June 22 after an observant staff member at a local marina reported the sighting of a single zebra mussel attached to the outboard motor of a moored boat on the lake. AUSTIN - Zebra mussels have been positively identified for the first time in Lake Travis in the Colorado River Basin in Central Texas, just weeks after biologists confirmed the aquatic invasive species had also spread to the Guadalupe River Basin.
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