Every boater can help prevent the spread of invasive species

Contributed / North Dakota Game and Fish Department Opinion by Andrew Weeks Today at 7:30 AM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Every watercraft user in North Dakota has the responsibility to help prevent the spread of invasive species, according to Ben Holen. He should know. Holen is the aquatic nuisance species coordinator with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, and recently, he and his team detected zebra mussels in Lake Sakakawea, the state’s largest lake. It’s the first time zebra mussels have been found in the massive waterbody, he said. As unfortunate as that is, it serves as a good teaching example for anglers, boaters and, in some ways, the department. ADVERTISEMENT Everyone must do their part. Joshua Palmer The detection happened after conducting routine sampling at Lake Sakakawea, just as the department does every summer in waters across the state. Water samples are taken to a lab where personnel look for microscopic zebra mussel larvae, called veligers. The water samples help to “really hone in on potential new infestations,” Holen said. For Lake Sakakawea, testing showed the presence of zebra mussels in the extreme eastern portion of the lake. That prompted Holen and his team to don wet suits and get into the water. Once they did that, they found two adult mussels located between the Sportsmen’s Centennial access and Highway 83 embankment. The next step is preparing a plan to confront the invasive species and mitigate their spread. Currently, the department is trying to narrow in on where mussels may be located on the lake, which Holen said is a little difficult to do considering the time of year, when cold weather is coming. But so far, three different crews have been in the water to try to hone in on the mussels, if they have spread beyond their initial location. So far, so good. “It’s a gigantic water,” he said. “But so far those researches have failed to produce any additional mussels. What we plan to do in 2027 is get out and take even more water samples in that original detection area to corroborate whether they're spreading from that location, steady in that location or what’s really going on.” ADVERTISEMENT Over the winter months the department will evaluate its watercraft inspection routines and see where, working with partners, it may increase its watercraft inspection presence at the lake, particularly at the site where mussels have been detected. Educating the public is also on the list of things to do, because zebra mussels can spread rapidly and infect other waters if everyone doesn’t do their part. READ MORE OUTDOORS ISSUES COVERAGE: Boaters reminded about safety tips as cold-water season begins Oct 3 DNR wildlife manager details how nature was impacted by Bemidji storm Jun 20 Former head of Game and Fish pleads guilty to misdemeanor sex crime charge under agreement May 1 One man's mission to bring the music of loons back to Otter Tail County Apr 22 “There's a bunch of stuff we’re working on this winter, but it all comes down to delineating where that population is, educating the public and then having smart consensus on prevention actions to eliminate the spread and mitigate this problem as much as possible,” he said. “This is certainly an unfortunate detection, but North Dakota boaters, anglers and water recreationists really need to follow those clean, drain, dry procedures and advocate for best practices. We don’t have that silver bullet to deal with zebra mussels today, but someday in the future we might. The better we can now prevent the spread here in the state, the more it’ll save the state money” down the road. Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags NORTHLAND OUTDOORS GRAND FORKS NORTH DAKOTA BOATING Opinion by Andrew Weeks Andrew Weeks is an award-winning journalist who has reported for newspapers and magazines. Prior to joining the Grand Forks Herald as its outdoors editor, Weeks was editor for several years of Prairie Business, a publication of the Grand Forks Herald and Forum Communications Co. Before that role, he was outdoors editor for a daily newspaper in Idaho. 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