A boat inspection road sign in an undated image provided by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Courtesy of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff on Saturday found quagga mussels on a motorboat coming from Lake Havasu, Arizona, during a boat inspection in Ashland.
Station crews decontaminated the boat and disposed of all the mussels, marking the first instance in 2026 in which crews found the invasive mussel on a boat entering Oregon.
Quagga, zebra or golden mussels have never been detected in Oregon waterways, but officials have intercepted them several times at waterway inspection stations, according to ODFW spokesman Adam Baylor.
Quagga mussels are an invasive, freshwater and quick-reproducing species that not only pose a serious threat to native food chains but have the potential to damage or clog dams, irrigation and drinking water infrastructure.
In neighboring Idaho, state officials since 2023 have spent millions of dollars trying to eradicate quagga mussels from parts of the Snake River, the state’s longest river heavily relied on by farmers to irrigate the state’s most important crops such as potatoes and wheat. The mussels were discovered near Twin Falls, located 180 miles east of the Oregon border. State officials used aquatic pesticides to combat the mussels, killing millions of fish in the process, including decades-old sturgeon.
“Invasive freshwater mussels like quagga mussels can do real damage to Oregon’s lakes, rivers and water infrastructure,” said ODFW Invasive Species Coordinator Keith DeHart. “Oregon is worth protecting so always clean, drain and dry your boat before transporting it.”
Under Oregon law, any vehicle transporting watercraft must stop at all open watercraft inspection stations for aquatic invasive species inspections. Stations are open if orange “Boat Inspection Ahead” signs are posted, followed by “Inspection Required for All Watercraft.”
In 2025, Oregon crews decontaminated 12 watercraft carrying invasive freshwater mussels and intercepted an additional 295 watercraft for other types of aquatic biofouling, such as the noxious weed Eurasian watermilfoil, according to the state fish and wildlife department.
To report an invasive freshwater mussel on watercraft, call the Oregon Invasive Species hotline at 1-866-INVADER or visit the hotline website.
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