January 2025 - 8

NEWS
G&F inspects more than
78,000 watercraft for AIS in 2024
CHEYENNE - It was another busy year
for Wyoming Game and Fish Department
personnel in keeping aquatic invasive species
out of the state.
In 2024, Game and Fish inspected 78,157
watercraft, the most since the AIS program
started in 2010. That total was up by more
than 8,000 inspections from 2023. There
were 1,282 boat decontaminations last year,
an increase from 1,112 the previous year.
Inspectors look for many kinds of AIS
during watercraft inspections, but the primary
ones are zebra and quagga mussels.
Wyoming is one of five states in the country
not to have quagga and zebra mussels.
However, every state bordering Wyoming -
except Montana - has at least one waterbody
that contains mussels.
Forty-seven watercraft were found to have
mussels at check stations last year, which
was down from 62 in 2023. Thirty-five of
those boats were inspected at the Interstate
80 Port of Entry check station outside of
Evanston near the Utah border. That location
continues to be the busiest of the state's check
stations with 18,685 inspections in 2024. The
second-most was at Glendo Reservoir with
9,330. The check station near Evanston also
had the most high-risk inspections (2,433)
and decontaminations (416) than any other
check station in the state last year.
A watercraft harboring live zebra mussels
was intercepted Sept. 22 at the Beulah check
station in northeast Wyoming. That was the
only watercraft with verified live mussels
discovered at a Wyoming check station in
2024. The watercraft had been moored for
several months in South Dakota's Pactola
Reservoir where a population of mussels was
discovered in 2022.
" When the AIS program launched in 2010,
our stations were only open for the main
boating season, " said Josh Leonard, Game
and Fish AIS coordinator. " In the last few
years, given the increased threat of AIS, we
recognize the need to stay open even when the
bulk of boaters are off the water. Situations
8 | January 2025
Wyoming Game and Fish Department aquatic invasive species inspectors had a busy year in 2024 with more than 78,000
watercraft inspections. (WGFD photo)
like this demonstrate the threat is at our
borders and knocking on Wyoming's door.
Everyone in Wyoming or coming to Wyoming
should be concerned and get involved. "
Reed Moore, Game and Fish AIS specialist
in the Sheridan Region, said since the
discovery of zebra mussels in Pactola Reservoir,
more than 50 percent of watercraft
inspections at the Beulah check station were
considered high-risk for transporting AIS.
Zebra and quagga mussels can wreak
havoc in freshwater ecosystems, cause
damage to watercraft and cause a decline
in tourism. They also can clog dam systems,
municipal water pipes, irrigation systems
and treatment facilities. An infestation in
one of Wyoming's water treatment facilities
could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars
annually to remove the mussels, keep water
flowing and mitigate damage.
Live, adult mussels can reproduce the
moment they hit the water under the right
conditions. Watercraft with these mussels
could easily start a new population. Inspections
are the first line of defense for many
watercraft.
Any watercraft transported into Wyoming
from March 1-Nov. 30 must undergo
a mandatory inspection by an authorized
inspector prior to launching on any Wyoming
waterway. It's state law that anyone
with a watercraft must stop when coming
upon an open AIS inspection station, even
if they stopped at one prior or do not intend
to launch in Wyoming. This applies to all
motorized watercraft, as well as nonmotorized
watercraft such as kayaks, canoes, rafts
and paddleboards.
- Robert Gagliardi, WGFD
SCAN THE QR CODE TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT
AQUATIC INVASIVE
SPECIES PREVENTION
IN WYOMING.

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/fishing-boating/aquatic-invasive-species-prevention

January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2025