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A vessel with golden mussels was stopped Saturday by marine inspectors before it reached the water at Folsom Lake after the invasive species was found attached to the craft.
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California State Parks officials said the discovery was another example of the ongoing effort to keep golden mussels out of California waterways and a reminder for boaters to remain vigilant when launching their vessels.
“This action remains necessary as a golden mussel infestation at Folsom Lake could cause substantial damage not only to the ecosystem but could also impact the power generation and water delivery systems at the Folsom Dam,” California State Parks officials said in a statement Monday.
The lake, owned and operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, remains free of golden mussels, state officials said.
The mussels were discovered Saturday attached to the hull of a boat bound for Folsom Lake at a decontamination site operated by Mello Marine, a boat dealer on Folsom-Auburn Road.
“The inspection program continues to be effective in preventing a golden mussel infestation to date, as the detection of golden mussels on this vessel by Mello Marine has shown,” California State Parks officials said in a Monday statement. “Without an inspection, golden mussels would have entered the water. To date, no golden mussel has been detected in Folsom.”
Mello Marine was closed Monday. Company representatives were unavailable, and messages were not immediately returned.
Mello Marine owner Sally Mello told television station KCRA that the boat’s owner had towed the vessel from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Folsom Lake before planning to head north to Oregon.
“Imagine, again, if this boat went to Oregon and now just gets put in the Oregon waters and now it’s north of where it is now,” Mello told KCRA.
Authorities in California and neighboring Nevada at Lake Tahoe have aggressively fought to keep the invasive species out of their waters.
Golden mussels were first detected in North America in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta near the Port of Stockton in 2024.
The California Fish and Game Commission quickly placed the species on the state’s restricted list after the 2024 discovery. Commissioners said the mollusks posed an immediate threat to the ecological health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and California waterways.
In response, state authorities launched the Aquatic Invasive Species Program, urging boaters to clean, drain and dry their vessels and present them for inspection and decontamination.
All boats launching at Folsom Lake were required to undergo a 30-day quarantine or decontamination at an authorized site. Watercraft also were required to have an intact quarantine or decontamination seal verified before entering the water.
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