Quagga Mussels Found in Idaho

Photo: USFWS Fish and Aquatic Conservation/Flickr

Last week, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) announced the discovery of quagga mussels at the Centennial Waterfront Park (near Twin Falls) area along the Snake River. For those of us who’ve had quagga mussels invade our home waters, we understand the threat this discovery poses. Growing up where I did in Utah, quagga mussels were a fixed part of the landscape, and have caused serious problems, especially at Lake Powell. The threat is so bad in Utah that, each year, more money is spent to build decontamination stations and to staff watercraft checkpoints.

For those who wonder what all the fuss is about—quagga mussels are an invasive species that quickly spread throughout a waterbody. Once established, they can spread to pipes that supply water for drinking, energy production, and agriculture. Once in those pipes, they can reproduce quickly enough to block off water flow, which means the pipes have to be replaced. But they’ll quickly be filled with mussels again if the mussels aren’t removed from the waterbody. ISDA states on their website that, if they can’t remove the mussels at this stage, it could cost Idaho taxpayers “hundreds of millions of dollars.”

The problem they pose to anglers, however, is perhaps even more serious. Quagga mussels feed on zooplankton—the same microscopic food source that many of our trout eat. That means there will be less food available to grow the trout, including native fish.

Preventing quagga mussels from entering a waterbody is easier—and cheaper—than mitigating an existing population. Boat check stations might delay you, but they’re vital to ensuring you’re not hauling any unwanted passengers. The same goes for boat washing stations.

If you’re curious about what else you can do to help stop the spread of mussels in your own state, you can follow some of the tips from ISDA here.

A few years ago, back when I still lived in Utah, there was a mussel scare at Deer Creek Reservoir. Deer Creek is a big lake about a half-hour north of Provo (home to the newly-minted Big 12 BYU Cougars!) and it’s a popular fishery and recreation destination. If mussels had indeed been found in Deer Creek, it would’ve severely changed that fishery, as well as the famed Provo River that flows out of Deer Creek Dam. We got lucky in that situation, and we can only hope that Idaho officials are able to nip this current problem in the bud.