We’ve just released our annual report highlighting results from our tenth season of watercraft inspections to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species to Whatcom County waters.

In 2021, inspectors conducted a total of 14,415 watercraft inspections at Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. The inspected watercraft came from a total of 318 different water bodies in 29 different states or provinces prior to launching at Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish in 2020, including 11 mussel infested waters. As watercraft continue to arrive from high-risk waters, the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program remains an important defense in the protection of our local lakes.

The 2021 inspection results can be viewed using an interactive online Story Map that shows the last water body visited by boats entering Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. We decontaminated ten boats that had recently been in mussel-infested waters and found 136 boats with vegetation and 1,146 boats with standing water on board that required some additional attention. Our inspectors used these situations as an opportunity to educate boaters about the importance of cleaning, draining, and drying their boats between every use.

More detailed results from the 2021 boating season can be found in the Whatcom Boat Inspections 2021 Annual Report and by viewing our interactive Story Map.

September 30^th marked the end of the 2021 summer boating season for the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program. Aquatic invasive species inspectors conducted over 14,000 inspections in 2021 in an effort to protect our local waterways.

Inspections will be available intermittently at Bloedel Donovan through the month of October, weather permitting. Call the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program at (360) 778-7975 to confirm hours or to schedule an on-site appointment.

Thank you to all our boaters for a great season! Please remember to clean, drain, and dry your boats and gear to protect our local lakes!

We’ve just released our annual report highlighting results from our ninth season of watercraft inspections to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species to Whatcom County waters.

New safety and inspection protocols were implemented in 2020 to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Despite a delayed start and the closure of the Canadian border, inspectors conducted a total of 14,777 watercraft inspections at Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish—a 14 percent increase when compared to the 2019 season. The inspected watercraft came from a total of 293 different water bodies in 29 different states or provinces prior to launching at Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish in 2020, including 14 mussel infested waters. As watercraft continue to arrive from high-risk waters, the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program remains an important defense in the protection of our local lakes.

The 2020 inspection results can be viewed using an interactive online Story Map that shows the last water body visited by boats entering Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. We decontaminated six boats that had recently been in mussel-infested waters and found 231 boats with vegetation and 970 boats with standing water on board that required some additional attention. Our inspectors used these situations as an opportunity to educate boaters about the importance of cleaning, draining, and drying their boats between every use.

More detailed results from the 2020 boating season can be found in the Whatcom Boat Inspections 2020 Annual Report and by viewing our interactive Story Map.

September 30^th marks the end of the 2020 summer boating season for the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program. Aquatic invasive species inspectors conducted over 14,000 inspections in 2020 in an effort to protect our local waterways.

Inspections will be available intermittently at Bloedel Donovan and Lake Samish through the month of October, weather permitting. Call the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program at (360) 778-7975 to confirm hours or to schedule an on-site appointment.

Thank you to all our boaters for a great season! Please remember to clean, drain, and dry your boats and gear to protect our local lakes!

We’ve just released our annual report highlighting results from our eighth season of watercraft inspections to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species to Whatcom County waters.

In 2019, we conducted a total of 12,923 watercraft inspections at Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. The inspected watercraft came from a total of 289 different water bodies in 20 different states or provinces prior to launching at Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish in 2019, including 9 mussel infested waters. As watercraft continue to arrive from high-risk waters, the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program remains an important defense in the protection of our local waters.

The 2019 inspection results can be viewed using an interactive online Story Map that shows the last water body visited by boats entering Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. We decontaminated six boats that had recently been in mussel-infested waters and found 169 boats with vegetation and 486 boats with standing water on board that required some additional attention. Our inspectors used these situations as an opportunity to educate boaters about the importance of cleaning, draining, and drying their boats between every use.

More detailed results from the 2019 boating season can be found in the Whatcom Boat Inspections 2019 Annual Report and by viewing our interactive Story Map.

We are looking for all types of watercraft for our 2020 Watercraft Inspector Training to be held at Bloedel Donovan on April 15 and 16. Volunteers will provide their boats for new and returning staff to get familiar with boat parts and inspection and decontamination procedures. We need a variety of boats including pleasure, fishing, PWCs, and ski or wakeboard boats. In exchange for volunteering your vessel, we will provide you with a $10 discount on your 2020 Annual Permit.

Please contact the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program at (360) 778-7975 or email ais@cob.org if you are interested in volunteering your boat.

Note: 2020 inspector training has been postponed to comply with the WA Executive Order for COVID-19. Please call for more information.

September 30th marks the end of the 2019 summer boating season for the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program. Aquatic invasive species inspectors conducted over 12,500 inspections in 2019 in an effort to protect our local waterways.

If you need to get your vessel inspected and permitted OR if your vessel is returning from out of the area and needs to be re-inspected, please call the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program at (360) 778-7975 to schedule an on-site appointment.

Thank you to all our boaters for a great season! Please remember to clean, drain, and dry your boats and gear to protect our local lakes!

We are looking for all types of watercraft for our 2019 Watercraft Inspector Training to be held at Bloedel Donovan on April 10 and 11. Volunteers will provide their boats for new and returning staff to get familiar with boat parts and inspection and decontamination procedures. We need a variety of boats including pleasure, fishing, PWCs, and ski or wakeboard boats. In exchange for volunteering your vessel, we will provide you with a $10 discount on your 2019 Annual Permit.

Please contact the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program at (360) 778-7975 or email ais@cob.org if you are interested in volunteering your boat.

We’ve just released our annual report highlighting results from our seventh season of watercraft inspections to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species to Whatcom County waters.

In 2018, we conducted a total of 12,444 watercraft inspections at Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. The inspected watercraft came from a total of 267 different water bodies in 29 different states or provinces prior to launching at Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish in 2018, including 14 mussel infested waters. As watercraft continue to arrive from high-risk waters, the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program remains an important defense in the protection of our local waters.

The 2018 inspection results can be viewed using an interactive online Story Map that shows the last water body visited by boats entering Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. We decontaminated four boats that had recently been in mussel-infested waters and found 150 boats with vegetation and 193 boats with standing water on board that required some additional attention. Our inspectors used these situations as an opportunity to educate boaters about the importance of cleaning, draining, and drying their boats between every use.

More detailed results from the 2018 boating season can be found in the Whatcom Boat Inspections 2018 Annual Report and by viewing our interactive Story Map.

City of Bellingham and Whatcom County Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Program staff have recently discovered invasive New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in Lake Padden and are working to determine the extent of the infestation and develop a coordinated long-term response plan.

To prevent the spread of this prohibited species to other water bodies, AIS staff urge anyone coming into contact with Lake Padden to inspect and carefully clean all clothing, gear, and watercraft, prior to leaving the lake area. Clean, Drain and Dry any watercraft after use and thoroughly brush-off any debris from waders, boots, gear, and any equipment that came into contact with lake water, then rinse with clean water. Additionally, pet owners are advised to limit their pets’ exposure and clean pets thoroughly after contact with the lake.

Bellingham and Whatcom County AIS staff periodically monitor Whatcom County lakes for any evidence of new aquatic invasive species; as a result, New Zealand mudsnails were detected at Lake Padden in late August. Their identity was confirmed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and a taxonomic expert on Sept. 10. This is the first confirmed sighting of this aquatic invasive species in Whatcom County. According to WDFW, the first discovery in Washington state happened in 2002 in the Lower Columbia River estuary, and while the number of infested sites within the state is rising, it is still fewer than 20 areas.

New Zealand mudsnails are very small, only 4-6 millimeters, with a relatively long, narrow, spiral shell that is generally brown to almost black in color. Like other aquatic invasive species, they disrupt ecosystems by rapidly multiplying and competing with native species for space and food. This species has no known predators or parasites in Washington state that can keep populations in check and the species’ small size makes it easy for anglers, boaters, and anyone coming into contact with the water to unknowingly transport it between waterbodies. The New Zealand mudsnail’s ability to completely seal its shell allows the snail to survive out of the water for several weeks in cool, damp conditions. To date, eradication of New Zealand mudsnails once they have infested a waterbody has not been feasible in Washington; however, there are effective options to prevent their spread to uninfested lakes, streams and rivers.

“It is important that we move quickly to determine the extent of the infestation and to determine the best response options to minimize their spread to other area waterbodies,” said Teagan Ward, AIS program coordinator for the City of Bellingham. “We are working closely with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Washington Invasive Species Councilto develop a coordinated response strategy.”  In the meantime, AIS Program staff are conducting surveys at Lake Padden and surrounding waterbodies to map the extent of the infestation. Signs have been posted by the swimming area at Lake Padden and AIS Program staff will be available to provide information to lake users.

If you suspect that you have found a New Zealand mudsnail (or any other aquatic invasive species) in another waterway, please report your information using the Washington Invasive Species Council’s WA Invasives website form or app today (Apple iOS Version | Android Version) or by calling the AIS hotline at (360) 778-7975.  When reporting an AIS sighting provide as much information as possible including close-up photos of the organism, the exact location (GPS coordinates work best), a description of what you found, and your contact information.

For more information about New Zealand mudsnails and other aquatic invasive species, visit wdfw.wa.gov/ais/.