Arizona Game & Fish Department

Canyon Creek fish hatchery.

Arizona Game and Fish Department officials have added Canyon Creek in northern Arizona to its list of Aquatic Invasive Species Affected Waters.

This follows the recent closing of the creek’s fish hatchery to determine the extent of New Zealand mudsnail infestation in the area.

As a result, anglers and others who recreate there face new directives. Those include draining, cleaning and drying things like waders as well as fishing gear before using them again in different waters. Decontamination protocols also apply to boats and other watercrafts used in those affected waters.

The invasive mudsnail reproduces asexually, so it doesn’t need a mate. This makes the proliferation of the species difficult to control.  

The mollusk was first discovered in Arizona in the Colorado River below Lake Powell in 2002, according to a release by Game and Fish.