by MICHAEL PENN/JUNEAU EMPIRE
IN AN EFFORT TO STOP the spread of disease and pests, anglers in Alaska will soon be banned from wearing felt-sole waders, the Juneau Empire reports.
Whirling disease—which causes deformities in fish—an algae called rock snot, mud snails and zebra mussels are just a few organisms that can spread between rivers and lakes, hitchhiking on the bottoms of a fi sherman’s shoes.
Felt-bottomed shoes, used by many anglers because they can grip slippery surfaces well—are of particular concern because they take several hours to dry, providing a moist habitat in which microorganisms and parasites can survive as they are moved from an infected stream to another body of water.
The ban on felt-sole wading shoes will take effect on Jan. 1, 2012.
IN AN EFFORT TO STOP the spread of disease and pests, anglers in Alaska will soon be banned from wearing felt-sole waders, the Juneau Empire reports.
Whirling disease—which causes deformities in fish—an algae called rock snot, mud snails and zebra mussels are just a few organisms that can spread between rivers and lakes, hitchhiking on the bottoms of a fi sherman’s shoes.
Felt-bottomed shoes, used by many anglers because they can grip slippery surfaces well—are of particular concern because they take several hours to dry, providing a moist habitat in which microorganisms and parasites can survive as they are moved from an infected stream to another body of water.
The ban on felt-sole wading shoes will take effect on Jan. 1, 2012.