Whatcom Boat Inspection

Question 1 of 7

If you boat on a lake infested with Eurasian watermilfoil or other aquatic weeds, what is the best way to prevent the plants from spreading somewhere else?

Remove every plant fragment you find when exiting the lake, and wash and thoroughly dry the boat as soon as possible.

Let the plants hang on the boat and trailer to dry in the air. The plants will dry up and fall off quickly.

Remove the large plant pieces and leave the rest to dry out and remove later.

Question 2 of 7

If you get a wire seal attached to your boat and trailer when leaving Lake Whatcom, and then come back to Lake Whatcom another day with the tether still intact, will you need to stop at a staffed inspection station?

No – having an unbroken wire seal shows that my boat was inspected and I can drive past the station without stopping

Yes – I will need to stop briefly so that staff can clip the wire and record identification numbers from my boat

Question 3 of 7

How can Asian clams be transported between waterbodies?

In any hold on a boat where there is standing water

In a bait bucket

In aquarium water that is dumped into a waterbody

All of the above

Question 4 of 7

What is the best way to dispose of aquatic plant fragments that you remove from your boat?

Leave them at the water's edge to dry

Take them home

Dispose of them on site and well away from the water to dry out

Toss them back into the water

Question 5 of 7

A prevention program can help stop aquatic invasive species from being introduced.

True

False

Question 6 of 7

The goal of the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Program is to protect Whatcom County's natural resources, infrastructure, recreation, wildlife, and economy from the impacts of aquatic invasive species by:

Preventing the introduction of aquatic invasive species, such as zebra and quagga mussels, and stopping the spread of established aquatic invasive species to new waters

Assisting the spread of established aquatic invasive species, such as Asian clams, to new waters

Allowing current infestations to grow and expand throughout a waterbody so they cannot be contained

Question 7 of 7

If a bait well or a hold on your boat has water in it, but the water looks clean, do you still need to drain and dry the hold before launching your boat?

Yes – some AIS are too tiny to see and are carried by water

No – if it looks clean then it is likely rainwater