Flathead Lake Biological Station released their 2024 Aquatic Invasive Species report recently, with over 100,000 boats inspected for invasive species. Of those boats, nearly half originated from states with known infestations.  

Some of Montana’s neighbors have dealt with invasive zebra or quagga mussels in recent years, including the Snake River of Idaho, the Pactola Reservoir in South Dakota, and Highline Lake in Colorado. 

FLBS AIS specialist Phil Matson considered Montana fortunate that a mussel-infested boat hasn’t slipped through and introduced invasive mussels into its waters yet. 

“We had a lot of promising things coming out of the 2024 field season and I am excited to see them built upon next year,” said FLBS AIS specialist Phil Matson in the report. “Rapid detection technology is advancing and gaining traction, the Western Montana Conservation Commission is setting up its AIS committee to bolster regional prevention efforts, and keen focus is being placed on all available tools as neighboring states come to grip with the reality of invasive mussels in the region.” 

This was the Bio Station’s eighth consecutive year partnering with Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to inspect watercraft, leading to the successful discovery and decontamination of forty-two mussel-infested watercraft. 

The FLBS AIS Program also undertook early detection sampling for zebra and quagga mussels at 31 sites on Flathead Lake and six Flathead watersheds. The samples are being analyzed by researchers for the presence of invasive mussels and their DNA. 

“To date, none of the processed samples have tested positive for the presence of invasive mussels or their DNA,” the AIS report stated.  

The Bio Station also provided community outreach and professional training on AIS, including teaching federal, state, tribal and local watershed associations about new loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) rapid detection technology. LAMP can be used to detect DNA targets at the site of sample collection, with results produced in as quickly as thirty minutes. The Bio Station worked with the US Forest Service and Whitefish Lake Institute to utilize LAMP technology to advance early detection protocols at Flathead Lake, Swan Lake, Ashley Lake, Echo Lake, Little Bitterroot Lake, Lake Mary Ronan, and Hungry Horse Reservoir. 

Matson, who has spent nearly a decade working with the AIS program, was honored with the 2024 Flathead Lakers Flathead Lake Stewardship Award in June. 

“A strong presence must be felt at the moment before a boat launches into a waterbody, so having someone on site to check the boats status is critical to preventing that one boat from spoiling it for us all,” Matson noted in the report.