All individuals who enjoy a day out on the water must now stop at inspection stations to clear any fresh water hitch hikers off their trailered water crafts.

Zebra and quagga mussels are an aquatic aggressive-invasive species that pose a threat to Alberta’s economy and environment.

“Mussels are really scary because of the impacts. Economically they attach to things, to any type of infrastructure. Irrigation is a very big business in Alberta. Pipes, pivots and all that agricultural infrastructure is at risk. As well as water treatment plants and drinking water,” said Kate Wilson, an aquatic invasive species specialist with Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD-Alberta).

Wilson also commented that the environmental impacts are huge too. “They are filter feeders, so they remove nutrients from the water which affect the fish and ultimately affect the entire food chain over time.”

“We [ESRD-Alberta] figure if we were to have an infestation in Alberta we are looking at over 75 million dollars a year.”

ESRD-Alberta is very concerned about them spreading since the closest infestation of these fresh water mussels appeared in 2013, in Lake Winnipeg. With snowbirds returning from the United States for the summer months, their watercrafts could have been traveling in infested lakes. Boats that have been in contact with Lake Mead, Lake Havasu and Lake Powel are at high risk of quagga mussels. They have yet to invade Alberta.

Wilson says that once these species become established there is very little control options available so we are trying to prevent them from ever coming here by doing boat inspections and education campaigns so that people know what to look for, and that they stop at our inspection stations so we can make sure that they’re not carrying any.

There is currently an inspection station east of Vermillion, AB which mandatorily stops all trailered water crafts; even non-motorized like kayaks and canoes.

“It is very much a prevention focus campaign. We are trying to make sure we take a look at people’s boats and we get an opportunity to educate them face to face so that we never have this problem here. We really didn’t have a program until 2013. It’s pretty new for us.”

Albertans are encouraged to clean, drain and dry off their boats after taking it out of the water.

If anyone suspects that a water craft might have mussels attached to it, they are encouraged to call the aquatic invasive species hotline at 1-855-336-BOAT (2628).

@BoosterTay

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