More cash sought to fight mussels

Today’s provincial budget should contain more money to prevent the invasion of damaging mussels to Okanagan Lake, Kelowna city councillor Tracy Gray says.

Zebra and quagga mussels were detected for the first time last fall in Montana, heightening concerns about the vulnerability of B.C. lakes.

“Prevention now will be a far more cost-effective strategy than dealing with a widespread infestation,” Gray writes in a letter sent to Premier Christy Clark.

The mussels feed on microscopic plants, disrupting the food supply for native fish species.

Fish populations such as trout and walleye can be threatened, and the mussels can cause significant damage to water intake systems, dams and swimming beaches.

“Basically, you end up with a clean, sterile lake,” Stephanie Hester, co-ordinator of the Montana Invasive Species Advisory Council, told the Great Falls Tribune newspaper in early November after mussel larvae were found in a reservoir near Shelby, Mont.

Gray, head of the Okanagan Basin Water Board, wants Victoria to ensure all boats being towed into B.C. are inspected for mussels.

Some inspections are currently done at select locations on a rotating basis in the summer. However, the water board says more should be done to prevent the mussels from becoming established in B.C.