The recent discovery of zebra mussels in San Justo Reservoir in San Benito County has heightened the concern among Lake County officials that the mussels are spreading north and could get into Clear Lake. Zebra and quagga mussels have been in the news for several months but most of the concern has been in Southern California where both species of mussels have been found.
Last month the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) imposed boating restrictions on many of their lakes. Boaters from Southern California, San Benito County and Santa Clara County are now banned from Lake Commanche, San Pablo, Briones, Lafayette and Chabot. All other boats will be required to pass an inspection before they can be launched.
Many of the boaters from the Central Valley fish Clear Lake, especially during bass tournaments. As it now stands there are no inspections of boats coming into the county. However, if the mussels are found in the lake, the county could very well ban outside boats from the lake. This would be devastating to the tourist industry of the county. Thousands of tourists visit the county every summer with most coming to fish or enjoy other water sports on the lake.
The ideal solution would be to have inspection and decontamination stations set up on all entrances to the county. The big stumbling block is the cost. According to county officials each station would cost approximately $1 million and the county just doesn”t have that kind of money.
As it now stands the lead agency, if the mussels are ever found in Clear Lake, would be the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) but like all state agencies it is being forced to cut its budget and it”s unlikely the DFG could come up with $4 million to fund the inspection stations.
Greg Giusti chairs the Lake County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee and he says that he is very concerned the mussels will get into Clear Lake. He says that every precaution must be used to keep them out and that includes checking every boat that comes into the county. He says the county should go after federal money to pay for the stations.
Boats being trailered from lake-to-lake are the culprits and with Clear Lake being one of the more popular lakes for bass fishermen it will be only a matter of time before a contaminated boat gets launched into the lake. In fact, many people say the quagga or zebra mussels are already probably in the lake.
Later this spring FLW-Outdoors will hold a major tournament, which draws national fishermen. Many of the fishermen in these tournaments will come from mussel-infested areas. Along with the bass boats there are also hundreds of pleasure boats from throughout the West that come to Clear Lake.
If the mussels ever get established in Clear Lake the impact would be huge. Quagga and zebra mussels feed on phytoplankton, which is the primary food for the young bass and other game fish in Clear Lake. They are filter feeders and feed by pumping water through their digestive system. A tiny quagga mussel is capable of pumping more than a quart of water through its system in one day. What makes Clear Lake so attractive to the mussels is its rich supply of plankton and the calcium in the water, both of which supply the mussel with its required nutrients.
In addition to devastating the fisheries, the mussels would clog up the water intakes that serve as a source of water for the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake plus the other water districts in the county.
The task for the county is to come up with a viable plan and funding to cope with the mussels. The fishermen will also have to cooperate and inspect their boats. The alternative is to close down the lake and no one wants to see that happen.
Terry Knight can be reached at tknight3021@sbcglobal.net or by calling (707) 263-1699. Letters intended for publication that respond to Mr. Knight”s column can be sent to letters@clearlakeobserver.com.
