Invasive mussels have laid Utah’s waters under siege. These destructive pests, known formally as quagga and zebra mussels, pose a significant risk to Utah’s utilities infrastructure, fish population, and tourism industry. A new law from Iron County Republican senator Rex P. Shipp would serve to protect Utah’s waters by expanding the definition of invasive mussels.
The Utah legislature should do its best to pass HB 125 and obliterate the invasive mussel STD (“skiff-transmitted disease”).
Mussel memory
Invasive mussels have long plagued America’s waters. Native to Eurasia, invasive species such as the zebra and quagga mussels migrated to America in the 1980s on the anchors and ballasts of ships arriving from Europe. Since then, these invasive species have spread through the western United States and infest Utah’s various popular boating waterbodies, especially Lake Powell.
These mussels can inflict serious damage on their environment as well as local human lives. They clog up water lines, interfere with water delivery systems, hurt local fish species, destroy boat engines, and contribute their foul smell and poke-y shells to Powell’s sands.
These mussels also take their toll on the taxpayer. Cleaning out mussels from water pipes can cost the water utility industry upwards of $1 billion a year. From 2000 to 2013, Utah undertook a $7.5 million mussel management program. Last year alone, federal offices inspected approximately 288,500 boats for mussels and performed 6,509 decontaminations, an increase from 2024.
Hook, line and sinker
Shipp’s bill takes major steps towards dealing with the mussel menace. HB 125 flexes its legislative “mussels” by broadening the categories of mussels which qualify as invasive to include Limnoperna and golden mussels as well as the Dreissena, or zebra (quagga) mussel.
The bill also increases penalties surrounding failure to comply with existing aquatic invasive species (AIS) boater requirements, incentivizing Utah boaters to keep their vessels clean and stop the spread of this “STD of the sea.” Existing statute in Utah requires the completion of a boater education course, a $20 yearly AIS fee, and the display of a decal.
The bill notably alters this provision, creating a new class B misdemeanor for falsification of these records. It reads, “The owner of a boat livery […] may not knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly alter or misrepresent decontamination records, timelines or devices[,] fail to decontaminate a conveyance or equipment when required to [or] fail to display the AIS decal.”
Though many Utah boaters may feel incentivized to dodge the bothersome AIS requirements surrounding their voyages, keeping the existing AIS rules truly does benefit everyone. Stopping the spread of invasive mussels means healthier native fish populations, efficient water usage, cleaner beaches and saving thousands of taxpayer dollars spent on boat decontamination and inspection.
Mussel man
HB 125 will also have a significant impact on tourism. The bill shifts the burden of responsibility of keeping AIS regulations onto the owners of rented boats, whereas previously those renting the boats were responsible for decontamination and payment of fees.
The bill also removes AIS requirements for non-infested waters, which in Utah includes all waters besides Lake Powell. This is significant, as more than 2 million visitors to Lake Powell make use of boats, many of them being rental vessels. Deregulating boat renters from AIS requirements puts the burden of responsibility regarding invasive mussels squarely on the shoulders of private boat owners, where it belongs.
Not everyone can afford a boat, but certainly many people desire a boating experience at a more affordable cost through rentals. With HB 125, boat renters need not worry about potentially being fined or charged with a serious misdemeanor by the government, which previously may have deterred potential visitors from boating. Private boat owners are given a greater duty to ensure the upkeep of their vessels and be responsible for the stewardship of the environment and the well-being of others around them.
Stay fresh
At the end of the day, it is hard to imagine that an invasive mussel would be able to comprehend what a legislative system is, what a house bill is, or what it means to be reviewed in a congressional committee. Yet these are the tools that humans must use to fight back. Representatives must approve HB 125 in order to deliver the knockout blow against their watery antagonists.
