Game and Fish Department installs boat cleaning station on the Red River in Grand Forks

Grant Kapaun, ANS biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Division in Jamestown, ND, uses a skid steer loader to unload the new boat cleaning station installed on the North Landing boat ramp on the Red River in Grand Forks . (Photo / Brad Dokken, Grand Forks Herald)

Ben Holen, ANS Game and Fish Coordinator in Jamestown, ND, and Grant Kapaun, ANS Game and Fish Biologist in Jamestown, delivered and set up the unit on Wednesday April 7th.

The waterless unit, which includes a powerful air hose, broom, tong-like tool for removing aquatic vegetation from boat trailers, and a wet / dry vacuum, also has floodlights for boaters leaving the water in low light.

Grant Kapaun, an AND aquatic nuisance biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, is helping position the new boat cleaning station that will be installed on the North Landing boat ramp on the Red River in Grand Forks on Wednesday April 7th has been. Kapaun and ANS coordinator Ben Holen delivered the unit on Wednesday. (Photo / Brad Dokken, Grand Forks Herald)

Anglers and boaters are encouraged to use the cleaning unit every time they leave the boat ramp, Holen said. The unit is one of four units that the Wildlife and Fish Authority is installing in bodies of water across the state and will primarily target lakes and rivers with known zebra mussel infestations, Holen said.

SIMILAR POSTS:

The Red River is infested water for zebra mussels, and the waterless purification unit is designed to minimize the likelihood of invasive molluscs or larval larvae docking a trip from the river.

“We have zebra mussels here (on the Red River) so it’s very important that you pull out your boat to get all of the remaining water out,” said Holen. “It may contain Veliger’s zebra mussels.”

The new cleaning station also reminds boaters to “clean, drain and dry” every time they leave the river.

“That’s what it’s designed for – get your boat cleaned, drained and dried quickly in minutes,” said Holen. “We recommend anyone coming from the river to use it.”

Grand Forks angler Ryan Stewart (left) checks the new boat cleaning station at the North Landing boat ramp on Wednesday April 7th while Ben Holen, aquatic nuisance coordinator for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, demonstrates how the device works . (Photo / Brad Dokken, Grand Forks Herald)

The Minnesota-made CD3 watercraft cleaning stations cost about $ 30,000 each, according to Holen.

While the prevalence of aquatic species in North Dakota remains relatively low, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ goal is to keep it that way, according to Holen.

“We have stepped up our inspections of vessels,” he said. “I think we’ve quadrupled the number of watercraft inspectors we’ve had in the countryside in recent years.

“We’re also running a new digital marketing campaign here in North Dakota so we can effectively reach new people and educate them about aquatic sturgeon species.”

For more information on aquatic nuisance types and prevention measures in North Dakota, visit the Game and Fish website at gf.nd.gov/ans.