Services
Inspections
Our inspection services include full service inspections for all private vessels launching in any
inland water. Our staff is trained through approved California Department of Fish and Game inspection and decontamination procedures provided by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. Services generally include manning inspection areas, performing inspections, and educating guests on the potential impacts of Quagga, Zebra, and other invasive species.
General inspection protocols are taken directly from the Department of Fish and Game recommendations and include the following information and inspection information. The information is provided to encourage all boaters and inspectors to prevent the spread of invasive species in any inland water.
Quagga mussels affect boaters negatively because they:
- Ruin your engine by blocking the cooling system which can cause overheating.
- Increase drag on the bottom of your boat, reducing speed and wasting fuel.
- Jam steering equipment on boats.
- Require scraping and repainting of boat bottoms. >
- Colonize all underwater substrates such as boat ramps, docks, lines and other underwater surfaces requiring constant cleaning.
Quagga mussel infestation can potentially lead to the closure of boating in affected waterways. They also wreak havoc with the environment, disrupting the natural food chain and releasing toxins that affect other species. Spread of the Quagga could result in millions of dollars in damage to water transport facilities.
Various watercraft are the primary transporters of Quagga mussels. All boaters and anyone who accesses freshwater aquatic environments should take the following steps to inhibit the spread of the Quagga mussel:
- Inspect all exposed surfaces - small mussels feel like sandpaper to the touch.
- Wash the hull of each watercraft thoroughly; preferably with high pressure/hot water.
- Remove all plants and animal material.
- Drain all water and dry all areas.
- Drain and dry the lower outboard unit.
- Clean and dry all live-wells.
- Empty and dry any buckets.
- Dispose of all bait in the trash.
- Wait five days and keep watercraft dry between launches into different fresh waters.
- Waders, float tubes and other articles of clothing can also carry Quagga larvae in trapped water. Anglers should wash all fishing equipment thoroughly and allow them to dry for the prescribed 5 days prior to using them in any other waterway.