Survey of Watercraft Interception Programs for Dreissenid Mussels in the Western United States.

摘要

The overland transport of Dreissenid mussels on trailered recreational and commercial watercraft and equipment is the primary mechanism for their range expansion into and within the western United States. For that reason, most western states have adopted some form of watercraft screening or inspection (interception) program to go along with aggressive public outreach and education and early detection programs to prevent the spread of quagga and zebra mussels and avoid their damaging impacts on aquatic ecosystems, water supplies and recreation. While quagga and zebra mussels have been an imminent threat to western states for more than two decades, the recent discoveries of quagga mussels in the Colorado Basin and zebra mussels in California and Colorado, have stimulated the development of many new and more comprehensive watercraft interception programs in the far west since they were first reported west of the 100th Meridian in January 2007. Most of these programs have their genesis in the Watercraft Inspection and Decontamination Training (WIT) programs that have been offered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) and its partners throughout the western United States since March 2007.