DNR Cites Man for Transporting Shopping Cart Completely Covered in Zebra Mussels

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resource’s message is simple: Don’t transport zebra mussels.

But that message was apparently lost on a 51-year-old North Dakota man who was vacationing this week in northern Minnesota.

DNR Field Training Officer Kipp Duncan of Duluth and Jen Mueller, a conservation officer candidate, were on patrol in Two Harbors when they came across a “full-blown infestation” of zebra mussels on a grocery cart, in a parking lot.

“We pulled into a parking lot and inside the bed of a pickup truck we saw a shopping cart completely covered with zebra mussels,” Mueller said in a DNR news release.

The owner of the truck, Bruce Hinsverk, 51, of Wahpeton, N.D., was on vacation and saw the shopping cart next to two dumpsters near Lake Superior, the release states. He planned to drive up the North Shore to Grand Marais before returning to North Dakota with the shopping cart.

“He thought it was unique to have a cart with mussels attached and that it would make a nice addition to his business,” Mueller said, "so he placed it in his truck. He did not know it was illegal to transport invasive species.”

Hinsverk was cited for unlawfully possessing or transporting a prohibited invasive species other than aquatic macrophyte, which carries a $500 fine.

While securing the infested cart, the officers noticed that some zebra mussels were still alive. The officers then drove to an area near the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center—where Hinsverk said he had found the cart—and discovered zebra mussels on the ground next to the two dumpsters.

The DNR doesn't know the shopping cart made its way from the lake to an area near the DECC.

Zebra mussels were first discovered in Minnesota in 1989 in the Duluth harbor. They subsequently have spread to dozens of Minnesota’s inland lakes and the St. Croix River.

According to the DNR:

“During the 2000 boating season, divers working for state and federal agencies discovered zebra mussels and zebra mussel reproduction in many parts of the St. Croix River downstream of Stillwater. Because of the widespread presence of zebra mussels on the river bottom, the Minnesota DNR designated part of the St. Croix River from the MNDOT Boomsite Recreational Area (river mile 25.4) downstream to the confluence with the Mississippi River, as infested waters containing zebra mussels. As a result of the establishment of the zebra mussel population, and efforts to prevent the spread upstream in the river and to other Minnesota waters, there are restrictions that boaters should be aware of when using and leaving the St. Croix River.”

Minnesota law prohibits the possession or transport of any prohibited invasive species in Minnesota.

To help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, anglers and boaters are required by law to:

• Drain bait buckets, bilges and live wells before leaving any water access.
• Remove aquatic plants and prohibited invasive species from boats and trailers. 
• Pull the plug on their boat and drain all water when leaving all waters of the state.
• Keep the drain plug out while transporting water-related equipment on roadways.
• Keep boatlifts and docks out of the water for 21 days before placing in another water body.