HELENA — Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) says it has intercepted six boats so far this year contaminated with invasive species.
A warden stopped a mussel-fouled tugboat at the Anaconda check station last week.
FWP says the driver failed to stop at two previous check stations and an inspection showed a significant amount of invasive mussels as well as barnacles, suggesting it was previously in salt water.
Wardens locked the boat to the trailer.
The boat was last in the water in Lake Michigan and on its way to Puget Sound in Washington.
FWP requires all watercraft traveling across the state to stop at inspection and decontamination stations.
Click here to learn more about preventing invasive species in Montana.
