By Patricia Weber, Environmental Law Centre and Jesse Zeman, B.C. Wildlife Federation 

Op-Ed Commentary

When a mussel-infested boat from Ontario was intercepted on its way to British Columbia, it exposed a clear vulnerability.

A specially trained detection dog found mussels clinging to the vessel at an inspection station in Golden, where it was quarantined for 30 days, decontaminated, and its owner fined. The driver was heading to the Okanagan where lakes are thankfully still free of invasive mussel species.

Had the inspection not occurred, the outcome could have been disastrous.

This is not an isolated incident. B.C. has had several such close calls. Aquatic invasive species like zebra and quagga mussels are spreading and fouling freshwater systems across Canada and the United States.

If prevention programs that catch these contaminated vessels are not properly funded by the federal government, invasive mussels pose grave environmental and economic risks to B.C.

Invasive mussels can destabilize entire aquatic food webs, contribute to harmful algae blooms, degrade water quality for both wildlife and human use, and threaten native species, some already endangered.

Invasive mussels are also a major threat to infrastructure and public services as they clog water intake pipes and hydroelectrical systems. Other jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S. spend millions annually to manage these species. Prevention it is vastly more cost-effective than management of a permanent infestation.

Federal laws direct the federal government to prevent such invasions. These laws prohibit transporting, possessing, and introducing harmful non‑indigenous species. They also give fisheries officers robust powers to direct or shut down activities when an aquatic invasive species threat is found. But laws can only succeed if they are properly enforced.

The Ontario‑boat incident makes it painfully obvious that prevention requires real investment. Inspection stations, trained detection dogs, decontamination facilities, public awareness campaigns, and early detection systems are indispensable. Without them, we are simply waiting for a crisis that could cost far more in ecological damage, infrastructure destruction, and lost livelihoods than any preventive program.

Unfortunately, the distribution of funding across regions is uneven and unfair. Between 2024 and 2027, organizations in Ontario will receive about $1.26 million from the federal Aquatic Invasive Species Protection Fund (AISPF).

Over the same period, British Columbia will receive around $540,000 for similar programs. That’s less than half. Recent events show that the threat to B.C. is not theoretical, making those investment gaps increasingly hard to justify.

The Fisheries Act does not allow for complacency. It mandates that the conservation and protection of fish and their habitats be a national priority, not only in places already suffering from invasions. B.C. has largely remained mussel‑free so far. That gives us an opportunity, but also a responsibility. Prevention must be proactive, not reactive.

The law provides mechanisms for support beyond regulation. The Fisheries Act empowers the Minister to develop programs, fund initiatives, and support Indigenous peoples, NGOs, provincial governments, municipalities, and academia in efforts to prevent aquatic invasive species.

The AISPF is one such mechanism. But the funding level, and how it is allocated, must match the risk and need across all regions. B.C.’s exposure is growing. Vessel traffic, recreational boating, and climate change increase the window for the introduction of invasive mussels. A single contaminated boat might seem like a near miss, but over time, unless our guard is up, those near misses eventually give way to catastrophe.

British Columbia has shown significant leadership and investment with its inspection stations (pictured), public compliance campaigns like “Clean, Drain, Dry,” and the Mussel Defence Program. But as this latest incident shows, prevention does not happen in a vacuum.

It is a shared responsibility under federal law. The federal government must respond accordingly by allocating more resources to regions like B.C., where the risk is real and increasing.

If we wait until invasive mussels are established in our rivers and lakes, the cost will be far higher, biologically, economically, and legally. The law mandates prevention. Let the recent contamination scare be the catalyst for matching that mandate with the necessary investment.

The B.C. Wildlife Federation and the Environmental Law Centre are petitioning the Auditor General of Canada to respond to questions about the federal government’s commitment to preventing the spread of invasive mussels. Read the petition here.

B.C. government file photo

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