PRESS RELEASE- for IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Sarasota, Florida–New onboard technology for Wake Sport boats designed to reduce the spread of harmful aquatic invasive species and make boat decontamination faster and easier for boaters will be unveiled next week at a national boat manufacturer’s summit in Colorado, the marine technology manufacturer Wake WorX said today.
The new “patent pending” system effectively filters out aquatic invasive species and their larvae before allowing them to be pumped into special ballast tanks or bladders commonly used in boats designed for wakeboarding and other wake sports. Ballast tanks have been identified by water protection agencies as a key factor in the spread of harmful invasive species such as quagga and zebra mussel around the United States. Decontaminating ballast tanks and bladders slows the inspection process for boaters at water bodies that require it and raise the cost of inspection programs, according to the Lake Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), creator of one of the first mandatory watercraft inspection programs in the nation.
The system was developed by Scott Wood of Wake WorX in a partnership with the Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA), the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the California Department of Fish and Game and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department.
Extensive biological testing in Lake Mead by leading aquatic invasive species researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno has proven the system effective at keeping mussel larvae as well as other Aquatic Invasive Species out of ballast tanks, live-wells and bait-wells, thus eliminating the need to de-contaminate those tanks.
Called the Mussel Mast’R, the new technology will be formally presented at the WSIA “Summit in the Snow” at the end of February in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The system can save time and money by eliminating the need to decontaminate ballast tanks, according to the manufacturer.
“It’s so very important that the people who enjoy wake sports have a way to both protect the waterways they love and to help streamline the decontamination process so they have more time on the water.” Wake WorX founder Scott Wood said. “The Mussel Mast’R, Aquatic Invasive Species Filter System, makes that possible.”
“Aquatic Invasive Species can devastate native species and ruin entire waterways,” TRPA Aquatic Invasive Species Program Coordinator Dennis Zabaglo said. “This is a big step forward in saving our lakes and waterways and giving boaters the tools they need to protect the waters they use.”
The system will be available through boat dealerships this year. For more information on The Mussel Mast’R and Wake WorX, visit www.SuperSacR.com
For more information on the WSIA Summit in the Snow, visit www.wsia.net
For more information on the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species program, visit www.tahoeboatinspections.com
Wake WorX also produces the most efficient and easy to use after-market ballast pump systems for wake sports boats in the world. Their Super Sac’R Wakesports Pump System is the only Three-in-One wake sports pump system, combining the function of a ballast pump, wash-down pump and auxiliary bilge pump in one easy to use package. They also offer a complete line of ballast pump systems for adding additional ballast to your boat.
