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B.C. and partners step up fight against invasive mussels
The annual battle against keeping invasive mussels out of B.C. continues.
The B.C. government, Columbia Basin Trust, BC Hydro and conservation organizations announced April 30 they are increasing efforts to protect local waterways from the threat of invasive mussels.
The province’s Invasive Mussel Defence Program (IMDP) works to protect B.C. lakes and rivers through early-detection lake monitoring, watercraft inspection stations and public outreach.
BC Hydro is supporting IMDP with a new five-year commitment of annual funding of $900,000 beginning in 2024. The BC Wildlife Federation, Pacific Salmon Foundation and Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation are also providing a collective contribution of $150,000.
These investments join the province’s core funding and the ongoing contributions provided by the program’s founding partners, which include Columbia Basin Trust, Columbia Power and FortisBC.
“I welcome the support from BC Hydro and our conservation partners as we continue the crucial work of keeping our waterways free of invasive mussels,” said Nathan Cullen, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. “The province has made fighting invasive mussels a priority and we will keep taking action alongside our partners and communities.”
IMDP’s operations include watercraft inspections, compliance and enforcement, lake monitoring, public outreach, signs and education. The program has strong and active collaborations with neighbouring jurisdictions across Western Canada and the United States.
Inspection stations are open from April until October to prevent zebra and quagga mussels from hitching a ride on boats or other watercraft and entering B.C. waterways. Inspectors promote B.C.’s directive that everyone follow the “Clean, Drain, Dry” guidance, preventative steps every boater is expected to practise when moving between lakes, rivers and other water bodies.
Invasive zebra and quagga mussels pose significant economic and environmental risks because of their ability to damage essential water infrastructure and outcompete B.C.’s native species and ecosystems. If they were to be introduced into B.C., the estimated cost of annual removal and management would range from $64 million to $129 million per year, the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship noted in a media release.
Protecting B.C.’s waterways from invasive species requires strong partnerships. The combined, collective support of the IMDP allows sustained, co-ordinated and targeted action to lessen the risk of invasive mussels and keep B.C.’s waterways safe from this aquatic invasive species.
“Protecting our waters from the threat of invasive species like quagga mussels is not just an environmental imperative, it’s critical to safeguarding the economy and well-being of communities throughout the Columbia Basin,” said Johnny Strilaeff, president and CEO of Columbia Basin Trust.
“These mussels, if introduced, could cause irreversible damage. This underscores the necessity of our ongoing commitment to prevention, a focus the Columbia Basin Trust and Columbia Power are proud to support through the provincial Invasive Mussel Defence Program to preserve the region’s natural and economic resources for generations to come.”
Jesse Zeman, executive director, BC Wildlife Federation added, “It is vital to the health of our freshwater ecosystems and fish that we keep invasive mussels out of B.C. The impacts of invasive mussel infiltration could be devastating. We’re very supportive of IMDP’s work and we’re pleased to team up with Pacific Salmon Foundation and Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation to fund some of the program’s preventive activities this year.”
In 2023, inspection crews, commonly found at strategic locations in the East Kootenay, completed approximately 20,900 inspections and interacted with more than 39,200 people to promote Clean, Drain Dry practices, which are preventive steps all boaters should take when moving between lakes.
Despite some challenging conditions in 2023 because of wildfires and drought, a total of 867 water samples were collected from 83 priority water bodies throughout the province.
All samples tested negative for invasive mussels.
Last year, British Columbia Conservation Officer Service inspection officers extended their service into November and December following the detection of quagga mussels in Idaho.
This monitoring provided additional capacity to respond to notifications from the Canadian Border Services Agency at the priority border crossings with Idaho.
Learn more about Invasive zebra and quagga mussels.
Lead image:Invasive Mussel Defence work in the region from 2022. Columbia Basin Trust file photo
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