Pending invasive species control bill question

Got new issue of weekly outdoor newspaper yesterday. On the cover was an update on this bill that would supposedly slow/stop spead of invasive species.

I have not read it word for word, but my understanding is we (boaters/fishermen) would be subject to a ticket if CO found water in the boat after leaving a lake?

This, if I am reading it right scares the hell out of me. What if the boat is canted away from my livewell drain when I am checked? I generally open drains and plugs when leaving a lake anyway. I read that wet anchor rope could earn you a ticket?

I have not left one lake and entered another without a good week at least passing, boat is washed when I get home, livewells rinsed out and doors left open. ( garage smells lovely if I forget that part! ) This thing just sounds like we are sure to getting a ticket if we are checked no matter how careful we are short of sitting at the ramp for a few hours letting boat dry out.

I am all for stopping invasive species. I really wish more was done long before it got to this. (like making vessels change ballast before entering coastal waters)

Am I missing something? Not as bad as I think? Or worse?

Biggest thing will be to have your plugs pulled. If it’s out I think some understanding and common sense will be used with the CO.

I also heard bleach can be dumped into the livewells and that will kill the invasives without harming the rivers and lakes. If true that will be a cheap way to maintain things. Buy a case and carry a jug in the tow vehicle and pour it in after loading on the trailer.

There will be much more education coming on this that’s for sure.

We all need to do our parts.

From my discussions with CO’s and their Bosses. I think most of them have a great deal of common sense which will be applied. If your driving down the road with your plug in and 15 gallons of water in your livewell, you might be looking at a fine. The idea, if this law passes is to both enforce it and educate folks. I predict that if it comes about there will be at least as many warnings as there will be tickets. I’ve heard some of the lakeshore folks actually wanting to retrofit accesses with a hill to thoroughly drain a boat before it enters. What they likely don’t understand is that most of the time we put our plugs in before we get on the incline (or at least I do). The hard habit we need to learn is to keep the plug out at all times, until we are at the access and ready to launch. I fish a full day with my plug out, wondering why the heck the bilge kept coming on. Once again my Norwegian ancestors were playing tricks on me.

Can you shed any light on bleach? Will it work?

Here’s one of five thread that have been posted in the last month on good ol’ IDO.

It’s coming<<<

What’s a Lake Service Provider<<<

You Could Become a Felon<<

Sorry, did not take the time to poke around for previous posts on this! Will take a look at them, thanks for pointing em out.

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Sorry,

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Please don’t be sorry. The more this gets talked about, the more people will stumble upon it and we might be able to steer some common sense into these laws.

By the way, once you become a felon for having water in your boat…well, I don’t associate with felons.

Did you happen to hear about the $650,000.00 that was spent for the feasibility study on the L&D #3 Fish Passageway?

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Sorry,

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Please don’t be sorry. The more this gets talked about, the more people will stumble upon it and we might be able to steer some common sense into these laws.

By the way, once you become a felon for having water in your boat…well, I don’t associate with felons.

Did you happen to hear about the $650,000.00 that was spent for the feasibility study on the L&D #3 Fish Passageway?

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So, as a new felon, that in turn would take away my right to own a firearm and by default, my right to hunt? Scary does not even come close to describing this result, all for forgetting to pull a plug or an encounter with an over zelous CO or sheriff? Will be doing my best to not get on your ignore list BK!!

As a matter of fact, yes, I just heard about the feasability study. Just read it in fact! Thanks to your link!

Overall I still wish they (government officials) had their panties in a bunch about this long before it got to this point.

I don’t know what the answer is though, millions (billions?) spent on “wash points” at all the boat ramps across the state? We, (the taxpayers or is it just boaters?) pay for all the fuel and or chemicals for hot water or disinfection? Not to mention piping in city water to those ramps or a treatment station so we do not wash the boats with the lake water we are trying to clean out of the boat?

I agree something needs to be done, I do not like this idea but cannot come up with something else, doing nothing has never been an option, but is what has been happening until now. Am thinking this is the grenade option being implemented now instead of using sniper option long ago when it was possible to control.

I never considered cleaning my livewell with bleach before. I would have thought that would be a sure way to find “floaters” in the livewell next time out. I soap and water clean with a brush and rinse till my water bill doubles hoping to get all the chemicals out. If bleach would lose it’s punch by the next time I took the boat out I would try it.

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If bleach would lose it’s punch by the next time I took the boat out I would try it.

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Bleach rapidly breaks down into harmless components.

“Clorox® Regular-Bleach is proven to be versatile as a disinfectant and a powerful cleaner in your home. In fact, it’s so powerful that it is often perceived that bleach is harmful for the environment. But the fact is that bleach starts as salt and water and ends as salt and water. The end product contains no free chlorine, and it quickly breaks down into essentially salt and water during or after use.”

Lol, just thought of something. We used to pour bleach into our water buffalo’s in the army to make it potable.

Should have thought of that sooner.

Is Clorox a new sponsor?

I’ll say it, Smart

Although I can’t see our courts filling up with “boat plug convicts”, the way this is going it is possible…along with stopping any boat traveling down any road for a check by a CO or LE.

PS Felons lose their right to vote as well. Are you for or against a Vikings Stadium???

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Is Clorox a new sponsor?

I’ll say it, Smart

Although I can’t see our courts filling up with “boat plug convicts”, the way this is going it is possible…along with stopping any boat traveling down any road for a check by a CO or LE.

PS Felons lose their right to vote as well. Are you for or against a Vikings Stadium???

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I’m pro bleach……….anti Ziggy.

Was against using taxpayer money for Twins stadium. Now that that got built anyway I cannot see how we could fairly deny the same thing to the Vikings. Still would rather not use taxpayer money to build something for folks with salaries like pro sports players make. What’s done is done and I cannot see how gov’t could be convincing as to why the Twins got one and the Vikings did’nt. Like everything else, it gets put on the back burner till it’s an emergency and gets crammed down our throats. Sorta like the invasive species bill this thread is about!

Different fiddle…same tune eh?

Bleach is not something that is recommended. Lots of things can be poured into the livewell to kill stuff, but the need is to change behavior IE: hand picking vegetation, pulling the plug and draining water. Whether it’s bleach or vinegar the AIS issue is more then just Zebra Mussels and soon Quagga snails. Watercraft and equipment are vectors for transporting plant fragments, mud, dirt, water, viruses. The focus needs to be on changing and teaching the behavior, and not debating a magic bullet.

Nobody asked about a magic bullet. I asked if bleach worked. Period. Don’t need a lecture on being responsible.

In a small way I’m glad I don’t live in Minn.
What gets me about all this is I haven’t seen anything pertaining to AIS and water birds of any kind and their ability/probability to transport invasives.
Has anyone attending the meetings inquired about this?

<crickets>

Are you saying crickets are an invasive species too??

no crickets are not invasives, what is being suggested is there are more things transporting the invasives around than boats but the boats are the only thing that can be targeted, as far as living in MN and dealing with these proposed laws there a number of states to our west that have these and many more that are even more strict.

And we have a winner!

Can we say “feel good” boys and girls, like said before until it’s stopped at the source this is all BS.

I’ll play their game because I have to, but I’ll also bet even with all the legislation they can enact, the spread will continue.

Kinda like closing the gate after the cattle get out imho.

Stadium? hehe..I remember when they stood at the podium and said this tax was just until the stadium was paid for…we must have missed which stadium they were talking about.

Politians…spending your money so you won’t have to..

Al

What about the jetheads and their toys. Do those things completely void the water they use when they are removed from a lake?