Mussel season opens in Alberta
MUSSEL INSPECTION MANDATORY FOR BOATERS
The provincial fight to keep invasive mussels out of Alberta started for the season on Friday.
This year’s detection and prevention strategy includes more than 60 inspectors, three mussel-sniffing dogs and two roving inspection crews that can move between local boat launches.
Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks, said compliance with inspection stations is mandatory for boaters.
“Cleaning, draining and drying your boat is the law in Alberta,” she said. “Pulling a plug on the boat is the law. Stopping for those inspection stations is the law in Alberta, no matter what kind of boat you are transporting.”
Bypassing an open inspection station while carrying a water-based vessel is in violation of the Fisheries (Alberta) Act and can result in fines to individuals of up to $100,000 or 12 months in prison.
Cindy Sawchuk is the lead for the Watercraft Inspections and Decontamination Program and the Conservation K9 Program with Environment and Parks. She said the mussels can severely damage waterbased infrastructure.
“Invasive mussels can be very detrimental to the environment and the economy,” Sawchuk said. “We estimate that should they be introduced to Alberta, this could cost us upwards of $75 million annually.”
Once the mussels find a home in a water body, there is very little which can be done to get rid of them.
Instead, the province has been focused on an extensive and mandatory inspection program. It is hoped the boating public will realize the importance of keeping the mussels out of Alberta’s water bodies through some simple actions they can take after boating.
Boaters are asked to ensure their craft are cleaned, drained and dry every time they leave a water body.
“This is the message that is consistent across the Pacific Northwest for invasive mussel prevention,” Sawchuk said.
Trevor Miller, superintendent for Southern Region of the Fish and Wildlife Enforcement, said officers have been involved in compliance activities, watching for drivers hauling boats who skip mandatory inspection sites.
“We’ll pursue them, and then get them turned around to come back to the station for a proper inspection,” he said.
Two stations opened earlier this year at Canada Border Services Agency sites, part of precautionary efforts following the discovery of zebra mussel larvae in Montana late last year.
The province has also extended the inspection season by several weeks in spring and fall, which began in March and will last until November.
Two high-priority inspection stations — at Dunmore and Coutts — have extended their hours for 24-hour service.
In 2016, 19,028 watercraft were inspected entering the province. Seventeen tested positive for invasive mussels, up from 11 in 2015.
In addition to government efforts, the Alberta Irrigation Projects Association is augmenting invasive mussel monitoring in southern Alberta irrigation reservoirs.
Nearly 100 water bodies will be monitored this season by Alberta Environment and Parks and other monitoring projects.
In 2016, Fish and Wildlife Officers issued 103 enforcement actions for boaters who bypassed inspection stations.
Three boats have already been intercepted this year carrying invasive mussels.