Don’t move a mussel: Province launches information campaign against invasive species

Mia Parker,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Alberta’s government launched a public awareness campaign Aug. 1 to combat the spread of invasive zebra mussels and quagga mussels to the province..

According to the provincial government, Alberta is currently free of zebra and quagga mussels, but populations are on the rise in other parts of Canada.

Zebra mussels, native to southeastern Europe, are a freshwater species that entered the Great Lakes in the 1980s. They have since spread though many Canadian bodies of water by attaching to watercraft and being introduced to new environments via the ships and boats.

Quagga mussels come from a similar region and were introduced into the Great Lakes in the same period, but have remained more contained.

Zebra mussels can survive out of water for up to 18 days in high humidity and breed very quickly, as females can release up to one million eggs each breeding season.

Both species of mussels are especially harmful for native mussels, many of which are species at risk, by outcompeting for food sources or colonizing on top of them.

Additionally, the presence of invasive mussels leads to toxic algal blooms, increases bacteria, impacts the survival of fish eggs and removes plankton, all of which negatively impact native species.

The mussels also cause millions of dollars of infrastructure damage each year in Canada.

Alberta’s information campaign centres mainly around urging boaters to clean, drain and dry watercraft, and stop at inspection stations.

“It’s up to all of us to remain diligent and do our part so these invasive species stay outside our borders,” said Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz in an Aug. 1 media conference.

“They may be tiny, but the environmental and financial damage they would cause if introduced is massive, so let’s keep ’em out.”

This summer, Alberta raised fines targeting the spread of these invasive species to the highest in North America. Failure to stop at an open inspection station could cost you $4,200, and $600 for failure to remove a bilge plug when transporting a watercraft on a roadway.

To support this information campaign, including raising awareness about the fines, the government has installed billboards and is running a social media and online campaign through the rest of the summer.

Retro graphic posters, modelled after ones used in the successful rat control campaign, will also be employed.

Alberta has also established the Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force and increased the number of inspection stations, inspectors and hours of operation of stations.

Between July 24 and Aug. 1, more than 5,500 watercraft were inspected, with nine found carrying invasive species, all of which were entering from other provinces and states.

“Clean. Drain. Dry.” is the motto of the information campaign, highlighting the necessary steps of rinsing and scrubbing, draining all water including from gear and coolers, and drying completely after each water adventure.

To learn more about regulations and inspection stations, visit alberta.ca/watercraft-inspections.

Mia Parker,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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