Mobile units deployed to combat zebra mussels

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This article was published 09/07/2024 (458 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba government will shuttle mobile watercraft inspection stations throughout the province to try to curb the spread of zebra mussels.

“Our water resources are a central part of our communities, natural ecosystems and economy, and often a major part of our experiences and memories. One of the biggest threats to our waterways is aquatic invasive species,” said Jamie Moses, minister of natural resources, in a news release Thursday.

Mobile inspection stations will be deployed during to check and decontaminate watercraft to prevent boats with possible zebra mussels or zebra mussel DNA from spreading to bodies of water that haven’t been contaminated.

During their debut weekend, mobile inspectors detected zebra mussels on watercraft and decontaminated them, the release said.

In 2022, the province introduced a law that mandates boaters to clean and dry their equipment before launching them in a new body of water. Anyone who transports motorized or non-motorized watercraft must stop at all open watercraft inspection stations along their route.

Zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species can alter aquatic environments and compete with native species, causing a loss of biodiversity within an ecosystem, which can affect beach and water quality, the release said.

In May, Parks Canada announced Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park would be closed to boaters for the summer season after detecting zebra mussel DNA in the water in November 2023.

As of June 10, the latest update from Parks Canada, 26 water samples taken from high-priority areas in Clear Lake had tested negative for zebra mussel DNA.

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On June 3, a dive team from Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducted visual surveys of the Clear Lake’s main pier, marina and shoreline from the main pier to the boat cove in search of zebra mussels.

No zebra mussels have been found to date, a notice on the Parks Canada website says.

Power boats, jet skis, sailboats, stand-up paddle boards, canoes and kayaks, are all subject to watercraft inspections, as well as all water-related equipment, including watercraft trailers, fishing gear, water pumps, personal flotation devices, including life jackets, paddles and anchors, beach toys, floating devices and inflatables and scuba and snorkeling gear.

Current station (including mobile) locations and hours of operation, can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/stopais/spread/watercraft_inspection.html.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca

Nicole Buffie
Multimedia producer

Nicole Buffie is a reporter for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College’s Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom as a multimedia producer in 2023. Read more about Nicole.

Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.