Boaters in Minnesota should stand by for more Minnesota boat inspections in local lakes and rivers as part of the state’s plan to stop zebra mussels and other invasive species getting a grip on the local waters. Boaters need to be diligent in checking their vessels for the zebra mussels as the local authorities will be very aggressive in looking for them on all vessels that have been on travel in the affected waters.
Minnesota Boat Inspections Help Educate Boaters
According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, there are nearly 150 DNR conservation officers out doing Minnesota boat inspections, especially during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, who will give out tickets to boaters that don’t follow the rules to check their vessels for the mussels and clean them off their boats.
The purpose of the Minnesota boat inspections is also to educate the boaters who travel in the Minnesota waters on why they have to make sure their vessels are cleaned of the invasive zebra mussels. The DNR lists over 500 waters in Minnesota that have infestations of invasive species, and 200 of them have zebra mussels in them.
Zebra Mussels Muscle Out Native Species
These mussels are bad for many reasons, including that they cut swimmers because they have very sharp shells, and they also attach to native mussels and cause them to smother and die out. Boaters who don’t follow the necessary rules and regulations to help get rid of the invasive species like zebra mussels will be fined and DNR has found so far during the Minnesota boat inspections about 17 percent of the boaters that travel in the area are not following the rules.
Minnesota Boaters Face Fines for Disobeying Rules
The rules for the Minnesota boaters who travel in the affected waterways are that they have to check over their vessels, get rid of weeds, drain the water from their bait buckets and live wells, and remove any mussels they find. If they don’t comply with this, and they end up facing Minnesota boat inspections, then they will have to pay a fine between $100 and $150 for not cleaning, etc., which goes up to $500 if the inspection teams actually find zebra mussels on the boat.
These new laws were put into place in 2010. Now, ever since that time, the authorities from the DNR are doing more Minnesota boat inspections to make sure the invasive species like zebra mussels don’t travel to more lakes and rivers and cause more problems for the environment.
