DWR conservation officers performing extra patrols during Memorial Day weekend to prevent spread of aquatic invasive species

Salt Lake City — Memorial Day weekend often kicks off the summer boating season, and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources conservation officers will be patrolling over the holiday weekend to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

The patrols will take place Saturday and Sunday at various waterbodies across Utah. Conservation officers will be checking to ensure boaters are in compliance with various aquatic invasive species laws.

"We want to let the public know in advance that these patrols are happening, so they can make sure they are educated about the current aquatic invasive species laws and are in compliance with those laws," DWR Aquatic Invasive Species Operations Lt. Bruce Johnson said. "Our goal is to educate the public and to prevent wildlife violations from occurring in the first place. If quagga mussels spread from Lake Powell to other Utah waterbodies, it would significantly impact water delivery systems in that area and also impact the fisheries at the affected waterbodies."

Here is a reminder of some of the current aquatic invasive species laws:

In 2023, the Utah Legislature made a few administrative updates to boating fees in Utah. Previously, boaters could pay their boat registration fee and their aquatic invasive species fee in the same payment and through the same process. However, in an effort to address fee-collection issues, the new legislation requires boat owners to pay their boat registration fee through the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles and then to separately pay the aquatic invasive species fee online, resulting in two separate proof-of-registration stickers.

• Anyone who launches a boat or any other watercraft in Utah — whether they are a resident or nonresident — is required to take an annual mussel-aware boater course. This includes individuals with paddle boards, kayaks and other non-motorized watercraft. The annual mussel-aware boater course must be completed before the aquatic invasive species program vessel enrollment fee can be paid, and then a current-year boat decal will be mailed to you. To reiterate: Everyone using any type of watercraft must take the annual mussel-aware boater course, but only those with a motorized boat need to pay the annual aquatic invasive species fee.
• Anyone who wants to launch a motorized boat in Utah must also pay the annual aquatic invasive species program vessel enrollment fee. To reiterate, this is not a new fee or an additional fee for boaters — it just separates the payment into two different payments. The aquatic invasive species fee is $20 per watercraft for residents and $25 per watercraft for nonresidents. If a boater has paid the aquatic invasive species program vessel enrollment fee but has not received the decal yet, they can simply show proof of payment on their phone or with a printed receipt to be in compliance.
• All watercraft leaving Lake Powell — currently the only Utah waterbody with confirmed quagga mussels — are required to have an exit inspection during the inspection station's hours of operation. Inspections are not the same as decontaminations. After a watercraft is inspected, it must still be professionally decontaminated before that watercraft can launch at a different waterbody. If a decontamination can't be performed, the watercraft must follow the recommended cleaning and draining guidelines, and wait the required dry time before launching again.
• When leaving any waterbody and when transporting watercraft, all drain plugs must be removed. Boaters should also remove any sea strainers while transporting their watercraft.

There are over 40 inspection stations located around Utah, with some located at boat launch ramps and others along highways. See a map of inspection and decontamination stations on the STD of the Sea website.

There are also five dip tanks installed around Utah to help more quickly and efficiently decontaminate boats with complex systems. All five dip tanks will be operational Memorial Day weekend, except for the one located at the Bullfrog Marina at Lake Powell (due to staffing issues).

Learn more about how to prevent the spread of quagga mussels and other aquatic invasive species on the STD of the Sea website.