OutdoorNebraska

28 | Fishing Info: 402-471-0641 • It is unlawful for a boat or trailer to arrive or leave a launch area with any aquatic vegetation from that water body still attached. Boat blinds cannot use plants listed as invasive species or noxious weeds. • Wash mud off waders. Felt-sole wading boots are not allowed. • These steps are intended to prevent or delay the establishment of aquatic invasive species in Nebraska waters. Clean, Drain and Dry – Zebra and quagga mussels can survive out of water for up to two weeks. After boating and before launching your boat in a different water body: • Rinse boat and all equipment with hot tap water, ideally more than 140 degrees F, to kill zebra and quagga mussels. Vinegar can also be used to kill young zebra and quagga mussels, especially in live wells. • Spray boat, live well, engine and trailer with a high-pressure sprayer. • If washing the boat away from the water body you are leaving, do not allow runoff to enter a drainage. Control your runoff. • Pull plugs from bilge, live wells, watercraft and tilt engine to drain upon leaving a water body. • Dry boat and all equipment for at least five days. Use a towel to speed up the drying process. List of Aquatic Invasive Species – Among those species of immediate concern to Nebraska are: • Asian clam • Bighead carp • Creeping water primrose • Curlyleaf pondweed • Eurasian water milfoil • Quagga mussel • New Zealand mud snail • Phragmites • Purple loosestrife • Red swamp crayfish • Rusty crayfish • Salt cedar • Silver carp • Snakehead • Spiny water flea • Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (disease) • White perch • White River crayfish • Zebra mussel • Brittle naiad List of Water Bodies That Contain Zebra Mussels – Populations of zebra mussels are present in these Nebraska waters. It is illegal to leave these infested areas with live fish or any water. Live baitfish need to be disposed of properly such as at the fish cleaning station, restroom or undeveloped areas. • Offutt Base Lake • Lewis and Clark Lake • Missouri River • Lake Yankton Suspect Water Bodies – Tested positive for veliger zebra mussels but no adults found: • Zorinsky Lake • Carter Lake • Glenn Cunningham Lake (drained in 2018 to freeze mussels) Transportation and Possession – It is unlawful to transport live black carp, silver carp, bighead carp, grass carp, white perch and yellow bass away from the water body from which they were captured. Learn More – For more information about AIS, visit: neinvasives.com. DON'T MOVE A FISH! Ask any fisheries biologist around the country about the threats to our fisheries resources and you will receive a list of replies that includes invasive species. Invasive species can be anything from fish diseases to plankton, mussels, aquatic plants and undesirable fish species. Even sportfish like largemouth bass, walleye and northern pike in the wrong place can be invasive species! Unfortunately, there are many examples of unwanted species of fish in places where they should not be. Far too many humans illegally transport them from one body of water to another. At the least, unwanted fish species crowd and compete with desirable fish. At the worst, they may threaten the collapse of entire fisheries. The unauthorized release of any fish or aquatic organism into any public body of water is illegal and irresponsible. Millions of angler dollars are spent each year in Nebraska and other states trying to eliminate or control undesirable species. The fishing that is ruined by "bucket biologists" and their illegal fish stockings might be yours! If you know of any such activity, call Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers, 1-800-742-7627.

• Cover