Dogs return to reservoir boat ramps as defense against invasive mussels

Mussel-sniffing dogs will return to duty today at the public boat ramps at Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino in an ongoing defense against thumbnail-sized bivalves that have done major harm to American waterways.

Quagga and zebra mussels have infested 33 California waterways and caused more than ?$500 million in damage nationwide by clogging water intakes, colonizing beaches and destroying natural habitat.

Neither of the local reservoirs has been invaded, and the dogs are deployed to detect mussels attached to boats, the major cause of the fast-breeding mussels’ spread since their arrival from Europe in the Great Lakes in the 1980s.

If the dogs detect mussels on a boat, it will be barred from launching and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will be notified immediately, said Brad Sherwood of the Sonoma County Water Agency.

Two dogs will be working at the boat ramps at each lake from 7 a.m. to ?3 p.m. today through Monday’s holiday. During the rest of the summer, the canine boat inspections will occur Friday through Sunday.

Boaters are asked to clean, drain and dry their vessels after every use on the water, Sherwood said.