(Spirit Lake)—Now that the presence of invasive species is known to be a factor for some of the Iowa Great Lakes, officials say it’s more important than ever to make sure boats are disinfected, especially if you’re going to be transferring from one lake into the Iowa Great Lakes to another. Jeff Morrison, a DNR enforcement officer, tells KUOO news boaters need to be aware of this as they go into the water for the first time this season…(click here for comment.) “I saw boats out the day the ice went out, I saw boats on the lakes. So yes, you’ve got to keep in mind that with the invasive species issues that we’ve got right now they need to drain their live well, drain the tanks, make sure that they clean it, you know, don’t move bait from lake to lake. And it’s going to be important even moving within our body of water.”
Morrison says not only will it help prevent the spread of aquatic species, but it’s also part of a new law…(click here for comment.) “We certainly don’t want to have some of our local folks move them from point A to point B. So just get in the habit. You know we’re going to have a new law coming into affect here I believe probably sometime this year that’s going to require it. Make sure that you drain and clean live wells, your boat, your bilges…all that….so that you’re doing your part to keep from moving invasive species from one lake to another. It’s just a good habit to get into whether you’re going from just within our water bodies or if you’re traveling to some place else in the state if you drain and clean you won’t be guilty of moving invasive species.”
DNR gillnetting crews are also disinfecting their boats as they move from one lake to another in the Iowa Great Lakes chain. Gillnetting operations were scheduled to start this past weekend, weather permitting.
