Invasive Freshwater Quagga Mussels Found Attached to a Watercraft at the Ashland Boat Inspection Station
ASHLAND, Ore. — Invasive quagga freshwater mussels were discovered on a motorboat that entered Oregon last Friday. They were destroyed, and the watercraft was decontaminated by the Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW).
The mussels were attached to a motorboat that entered the state from Lake Havasu, Arizona, by members of the ODFW at the Ashland Boat Inspection Station.
Invasive freshwater mussels can harm Oregon’s lakes, rivers, and water infrastructure, explains Keith DeHart, the Invasive Species Coordinator at ODFW.
All Vehicles Transporting Watercraft Must Stop at Inspection Stations
According to Oregon law, all vehicles transporting watercraft are required to stop at open inspection stations.
To date, ODFW has not detected any invasive freshwater mussels in Oregon waterways, which it attributes to the efforts of inspection station crews and responsible boaters.
Last year, inspection crews decontaminated 12 watercraft carrying invasive freshwater mussels.
295 Boats Carried Water Fouling Species in 2025
They intercepted an additional 295 watercraft for other types of water fouling, such as Eurasian *watermilfoil.
*Eurasian watermilfoil is a highly invasive, submerged aquatic perennial plant native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It forms dense mats of feathery leaves on water surfaces, choking waterways, harming native ecosystems, and hindering boating and swimming.
Oregon launched the Watercraft Inspection Stations Program in 2010. Since then, the ODFW has inspected a total of 246,748 watercraft and intercepted 3,758 for aquatic bio-fouling. A further 185 watercraft were found to carry invasive freshwater mussels.
Source: ODFW March 2026 quagga mussel release and Oregon Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program 2025 annual report
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The state operates two year-round inspection stations during daylight hours at Ashland and Ontario, while seasonal inspection stations are located in Brooking, Klamath Falls, Owyhee, and Umatilla.
Anyone who discovers invasive freshwater mussels attached to their watercraft should contact the Oregon Invasive Species hotline at 1-866-INVADER or click here.
For more information about the Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program and Water Access permits, Click here.
What an absolute waste of taxpayer funds! You have full-time people at the POE waiting for boats to look at and on the rare occasion they find one,, it is so noteworthy as to put it in the news. That’s how effective this so-called inspection is. They finally find a boat with a few mussels on it, and it makes the news!!! So impressive!!!