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(Provided by Minnesota DNR)

The Minnesota DNR will be using three zebra mussel-sniffing K-9 teams for the first time this year to help combat the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS).

Minnesota is the second state in the country to use trained dogs to prevent the spread of AIS. They will be used throughout the state during the open water season.

A video of the dogs is available here.

“The use of K-9s is a progressive enforcement tool that will complement and support our invasive species prevention efforts,” said Col. Jim Konrad, DNR Enforcement director. “However, they should not overshadow the fact that preventing the spread of AIS is still everyone’s personal responsibility.”

Earlier this year, conservation officers traveled to California to learn about the country’s first program successfully utilizing mussel trained K-9’s to prevent the spread of AIS.

“A K-9 can find a mussel on a boat much faster than a human inspector,” said Kanieski.

According to the DNR, zebra mussels can multiply out of control and dramatically change the ecosystem of a body of water. They are often transported from lake to lake by boaters. The mussels are only about the size of a finger nail, and their larvae microscopic, making them tough to find. They have been discovered on various lakes across the state.

Minnesota will also have between 126 and 146 human watercraft inspectors stationed around the state at various lakes this summer to check boats for zebra mussels and exotic plants.