North Texas Boaters: New Regulations Took Effect May 17

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department sent this bulletin at 05/24/2012 08:30 AM CDT

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New regulations that took effect May 17, 2012 mean that boaters on Lake Texoma, Lake Lavon and the Red River and its tributaries will have to take additional steps to remove all water from their boat and trailer before leaving for another body of water. These regulations are intended to help stop spread of the destructive invasive species, zebra mussels.

Boaters are already prohibited from transporting invasive species that are visible to the naked eye, such as adult zebra mussels. The new regulation is intended to prevent the spread of zebra mussel larvae, or “veligers,” which are so tiny they can only be seen with a microscope and can survive for days in water trapped in a boat.

Zebra mussels have become well established in Lake Texoma and can spread across Texas on boats and trailers like yours. Zebra mussels can hurt aquatic life, foul your boat, hinder water recreation and even affect our water supply. Once they become established in a reservoir, there is no known way to get rid of them.

To learn more about the new regulations, visit the TPWD website.

Don’t Be A Carrier. No matter where you boat in Texas, always Clean, Drain and Dry your boat, trailer and gear to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species such as zebra mussels, giant salvinia, hydrilla and water hyacinth. Watch this short video to learn how. If your boat is kept or stored on the water in a lake known to have zebra mussels, it will need to be fully decontaminated before transporting or launching it on another body of water.

Hello Zebra Mussels. Goodbye Texas Lakes.

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