Cleaning your fishing equipment with hot water could save Montana millions of dollars, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials.
Tayler Templin, Northwest Area AIS supervisor for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, briefed area residents on the dangers of invasive species and some of the ways that Montanans can avoid accidently assisting in their invasion at an informational meeting at the Elk’s Lodge in Hamilton hosted by Bitterroot Trout Unlimited on Thursday night.
“There’s a lot going on regionally with AIS,” Templin said. “I’m sure some of you know that in 2023 there was a mussel detection in the Snake River, which is the first time mussels have been detected in the Columbia River basin.”
A group of zebra mussels, already considered one of the “world’s worst” invaders.
A small number of quagga mussels were discovered in the Snake River in September of 2023, according to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. Mussels are considered one of the most insidious invasive species by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks because of their incredible resilience and pervasive nature.
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