MMitchell

Very late to come back to this, but I read boot laces were also a common way mud snails are transported as they take ages to dry - any other porous or fabric parts of the boot too like the tongue or inside . Maybe if your boots have laces and porous fabric inside give them a good dry too... In some US states certain boots are banned from lakes and rivers to prevent mud snails getting lodged there

Also drain ballasts too if your boats got them I read, and keep them unplugged until you get home, blasting them with hot water is good too

Thanks for the advice. If anyone has a boat, it's worth after a trip to unplug and drain live wells, ballasts (or any parts of boat holding water depending on the type). Used to be advised on this all the time in UK, as invasive pests, plants often got caught there and transferred over.

I'm new to Australia (originally from UK) and was wondering if there is any rules or advice about ways of cleaning boats to avoid Quagga mussels and zebra mussels getting transported. They're becoming an issue in the UK and Ireland ( they're causing algal bloom and decreasing fish populations) with a lot of advice to boat owners and anglers to "check clean and dry" and drain bilge and motors, flush livewell etc, was wondering if the same rules applied in Australia, or if there was specific guidance?

Just read up on the boots, I think giving them a good scrape out, and checking all of the nooks and crannies, making sure they're clean and dry should not transport anything.

Have Quagga mussels been found over here? Moved over from UK where they've just become an issue ("evil twin of the zebra mussel") for fish, aquatic plants, clogging up water pipes. In parts of Canada and US all boats are mandatory inspected for them Wondering if they've been found in Australia...

Thanks for your advice, I'll have a look at the kiwi point of view on this. I have always used virkon aquatic disinfectant (apparently most effective for killing invasive species) and then dried everything out after a trip. Really hot water is apparently best to soak everything in, from what I've read warm water and soap is not very effective. I always make sure my boots, especially laces are dry, I was told tiny mud snails can hide there apparently. And I check reels too, just in case. If you have a boat, always drain the bilge and motor too, and rinse and dry any exposed areas. When I used to fish in Ireland, they were pretty strict and had a lot of signage about this, their basic advice being "clean drain and dry".

What's the best way of cleaning my waders, boots (particularly shoelaces and tongue), equipment, and boat to prevent Quagga mussels and other invasive species being transported into other bodies of water. Just moved over here from UK and am not sure of the best methods. Usually I just ensure everything's dry or use virkon aquatic then dry?