California’s Sacramento. In California, it is currently against the law to own or carry golden mussels.
The latest move in the fight to keep the invasive species out of California’s rivers is the California Fish and Game Commission’s designation of the golden mussel as a restricted species. The ecological well-being of California streams and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is thought to be immediately threatened by the mussels.
The mussel is now included on the list of species prohibited from live importation, transportation, and ownership due to emergency restrictions implemented during the commission’s meetings in Sacramento on December 11–12.
According to Jay Rowan, Chief of the Fisheries Branch of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, placing golden mussels on the restricted species list is a crucial first step in containing and halting the spread of this non-native species.
Because golden mussels can survive in a greater variety of water quality circumstances than other mussel species, authorities say they pose a greater threat to California waters.
Since the golden mussel was discovered in the Port of Stockton in mid-October, state and municipal authorities have been on high alert for it.
According to representatives of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the discovery made on October 17 was the first in North America.
Native to China and Southeast Asia, the mussels most likely arrived in Californian seas on big ships.
According to fish and wildlife officials, the emergency listing will lessen the possibility that people may spread the bivalves to other state waters.
The mussels readily enter the plumbing, bilges, ballast tanks, engine systems, and other areas of vessels, including live wells. The water that accumulates in the craft’s systems allows the mussels to live for long periods of time.
Watercraft leaving the Delta are subject to quarantines and travel restrictions enforced by local authorities, such as Solano County, since the Stockton discovery.
Watercraft from the Delta were prohibited from launching at Lake Berryessa in November by Solano County unless they underwent a 30-day quarantine or disinfection.
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The Sacramento Bee, 2024. www.sacbee.com. Tribune Content Agency, LLC is the distributor.
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