Idaho agriculture officials describe expanded 2024 quagga mussel monitoring and treatment on the Snake River

Chanel Tewalt, director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, and Nick Zerflue, bureau chief overseeing aquatic invasive species work, told the House Agriculture Affairs Committee the agency substantially expanded inspections, water sampling and partner support in 2024 after quagga mussel veligers were found on the Snake River.

Tewalt said Idaho increased boat inspections by about 50% and doubled statewide water sampling from 2023 to 2024 and that the agency added laboratory and subject‑matter experts to ensure confirmation of findings. "We have increased by every single measure what we do in this program," she said to the committee.

The nut graf: state officials described a multi‑layered approach — visual identification, molecular confirmation and carefully applied eDNA — and said detection of any veligers in the Snake River required rapid delimiting, permitting and a treatment plan coordinated with federal and local…