Preventing aquatic invasive species
New boating fee will fund program for aquatic invasive species prevention
Aquatic invasive species can wreak havoc when introduced to rivers and bays, and starting next year, recreational boaters in Oregon will pay a fee to fund a program to prevent them from spreading.
The Aquatic Invasive Species Permit, a fee recreational boaters must pay starting Jan. 1, 2010, is designed to keep species, such as the devastating quagga and zebra mussels, out of Oregon waters, said Ashley Massey at the Oregon State Marine Board.
Invasive species are threats to hydropower, irrigated agriculture, drinking water, recreation and salmon recovery, according to the OSMB Web site. Oregon has implemented a prevention program because many surrounding states have been infested with invasive species, including California and Nevada.
“We want to avoid disasters that have happened in other parts of the country,” Massey said.
Massey said invasive species spread quickly once introduced, and can damage power and water plants to the point that they impede electricity, and end up harming everyone in the area.
Local fishermen and boaters aren’t so sure about the fee.
Donna Hymer, who works at Basin Tackle Shop, said customers are concerned about payint more money to go out fishing.
“So far, what I’ve heard, there’s a lot of upset people,” she said.
Sheryl Todd at Sunset Sports in North Bend said she’s hearing many questions from customers who are confused about the new fee, and what it means for paddle-powered watercraft.
“We’ve had several people asking about it,” she said. “We haven’t seen much. People have a lot of questions.”
Employees at Coos Bay Marine and Englund Marine reported similar stories, pointing out that they don’t have much information about the fee, and customers have questions regarding who has to pay, and why.
Non-motorized boats and paddle craft that are 10 feet or longer will pay an annual permit cost of $7, but still will not have to be registered with the OSMB. Sailboats between 10 and 12 feet long also will pay a $7 fee. Massey said this permit is assigned to a person, not a specific boat, and can be transferred to other manually powered boats, as long as every craft in the water at any one time has a permit.
Registered motorboats, as well as registered sailboats 12 feet and longer, will pay an additional $5 surcharge when they renew boat registration every two years. Issued boat decals are proof that the fee has been paid.
Registered boaters pay every other year because that’s how often registration is renewed. If your registration expires on Dec. 31, 2010, you do not need to have a permit for the 2010 boating season, according to the OSMB Web site.
Non-motorized boaters pay a larger fee yearly because the OSMB does not want to register these watercrafts, and it takes extra money to reach non-registered recreational boaters because information is not kept on file, Massey said.
Out-of-state boaters also will be subjected to a fee, and must buy a $22 non-resident permit.
Massey said the fee shouldn’t discourage tourism, because many boaters will come from states with a similar program in place.
“They’re used to paying some sort of fee,” Massey said. “It won’t be a huge surprise to out of staters.”
Commercial boats, which also can contribute to the spread of invasive species, are subjected to the Department of Environmental Quality, not the OSMB program, and inspected as they come into port, Massey said. This means they are exempt from this particular fee and dedicated to prevention through other programs.
“This law focuses on recreational boaters,” she said.
Failure to buy a permit will result in a Class D violation that carries a $152 fine. Enforcement officials will issue warnings for the first few months.
Massey said the program is modeled after Idaho’s invasive species prevention program because Oregon shares jurisdictional waters with Idaho. Washington will look into adopting similar jurisdiction in the future.
“We share a lot of the boating population,” Massey said.
But where is the money going?
Massey said it’s a self-sufficient program, and the fees will be paying for educational outreach, staff members specifically trained to inspect boats and materials to clean infected watercrafts.
Though a kayak or drift boat may seem trivial, Massey said a small slip in cleaning boats can start a downward spiral of spreading harmful waterborne species.
“Boats are a primary vector,” she said.
“If boaters don’t take responsibility now, ultimately everyone will suffer.”
BULL.
Kind of late to start protecting now…..
and it would be nice if pictures were published WITH the articles so that people can see what is being classed as “invasive species”. Plants, critters, fish, etc.,etc.
What about cleaning some weeds out of the small lakes here on the south coast? Elbow Lake, Tenmile around the docks, Eel lake……and Takenitch around the docks where people who don’t have boats can fish without dragging out clumps of weeds. It gets to where that isn’t much fun.