By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

can cause severe damage

Alberta announces successful crackdown on invasive mussels

Nov 15, 2024 | 2:58 PM

The provincial government says there have been a record number of inspections in 2024 with the goal of keeping Alberta — much like it is rat-free — void of zebra and quagga mussels.

These species can rapidly damage waterways and infrastructure, destroy habitats, and cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, the province says.

To date this year, more than 13,400 inspections of boats and other watercrafts have taken place; that’s the most since 2019. There are also increased fines, expanded stations and more officers, they say.

“Alberta took action to keep invasive mussels out of our waterways this summer, and we did so successfully,” says Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter, chair of the Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force.

A zebra mussel. (ID 273278714 © Jason Ondreicka | Dreamstime.com)

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“We inspected a record number of boats and other watercraft in 2024 and kept the province zebra and quagga mussel free. Thank you to all the people who came into the province and did their part by making sure their drain plug is removed and stopping at all mandatory inspection stations.”

The task force was announced in May this year, and is comprised of:

• Grant Hunter, Chair and MLA for Taber-Warner
• Martin Shields, Member of Parliament, Bow River
• Kelly Carter, chief executive officer, Alberta Wildlife Federation
• Megan Evans, executive director, Alberta Invasive Species Council
• Dr. Patrick Hanington, associate professor, Environmental Health Sciences, University of Alberta
• Bradley Peter, executive director, Alberta Lake Management Society
• Richard Phillips, vice-chair, Alberta Irrigation District
• Richard Stamp, president, Stamp Seeds
• Jay White, director, Alberta Water Council

Fines for failing to stop at an open inspection station are now $4,200, the largest in North America, and it’s a $600 ding for not removing a drain plug when transporting a watercraft.

Of the 13,408 boats and watercrafts inspected, 115 were found to be contaminated with invasive mussels, a majority of them travelling from eastern provinces. There were 20 fines issued for not stopping.

There are now seven stations and a roving crew, up from five stations in 2023.

More information about these invasive species is at alberta.ca.