Changes are being made to the Wildlife Act to protect the province's ecosystems and economy from invasive mussels.
The introduction of the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act include mandatory stops at open watercraft inspection stations, and pull-the-plug requirements.
Inspections for watercraft, including those entering B.C. from another jurisdiction, aims to ensure they are free of invasive species. Pull-the-plug rules legally obligates individuals to remove drain plugs from their
watercraft when transporting them.
The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) has been advocating for greater efforts to prevent the spread
of invasive mussels for more than a decade.
“These proposed changes are a positive development, and we applaud the province for recognizing the shared responsibility of keeping waters free from invasive mussels,” OBWB Chair Blair Ireland said in a media release. "As the summer boating season is almost here, we encourage the legislature to pass the amendments and ask the province to expedite the regulations that will be needed to bring these very positive changes into force.”
The transportation of watercraft between waterbodies is the primary high-risk pathway for spreading aquatic invasive species, such as zebra and quagga mussels.
Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, have similar measures in place. At the end of April, Alberta inspectors intercepted a watercraft confirmed to be carrying invasive mussels originating from Ontario.
Invasive mussels can cause corrosion and clogging in hydro and water-delivery systems costing hundreds of thousands of dollars per facility every year. They can collapse the food chain for fish and cause significant water quality problems, including increasing toxic algae, botulism and E.coli. Razor-sharp mussel shells
end up on beaches, and the smell and taste of the water changes once lakes are infested.
"We are pleased to see the provincial government taking action on this,” said OBWB Executive Director Melissa Tesche. “This must be an ongoing effort and it will take work to develop the associated regulations. Significant funding will be required to enforce the new regulations, but given the severe economic harm that mussels would bring, B.C. can’t afford not to invest in these protections,”
The proposed amendments are now under consideration by the legislature.
