Threatof invasive mussels has Okanagan's water board calling for moratorium on out-of-province boats

The threatof invasive mussels hasled the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) to propose a potential temporary ban on all out-of-province boats entering B.C.'s waterways.

James Littley, deputy administrator for the OBWB,said two species of freshwater mussels zebra and quagga mussels couldbe catastrophictolake and riversystems if stringentmeasures aren't put in place to keep them out ofthe province.

"These mussels are fundamentally going to alter our way of life here in the Okanagan" Littley told Radio West host Sarah Penton.

"They leave razor-sharp shells on beaches so you can no longer walk on the beach in your bare feet. They changethe water chemistry so they'll cause toxic algae blooms. They collapse the food chain for fish and other things in the water."

He says the thumbnail-sized mollusks can damage waterinfrastructure.

If not intercepted,zebra and quagga mussels couldcost B.C. anywhere between$64 million to $129 million annually, according toestimates released by the province earlier this year.

"If we can't prevent them,it's going to be impossible to contain them or eradicate them," said Littely.

So far, theinvasive mussels have not been discoveredin B.C. waters, but the threat is real, and perilously close, says Littley.

Last month, officials in Idaho saidquagga mussels werefound in the Snake River,thelargest tributary of the Columbia River.

OBWB officials are concerned that watercraftcoming into the provincemightbe infested with quaggamussels.

"They are small and can hide in the nooks and crannies of boats and can be easily transported," said Littley.

Concerns over economic impact of proposed moratorium

Littley briefed Vernon council last weekon the impacts of invasivemussels, and asked council to supportthe board'scall for amoratorium.

Coun. Brian Guysaid he supports the temporary ban.

"The consequences are gigantic. This threat gets bigger and closer," he said during the meeting.

Coun. Kari Gares expressed concern about the economic impact ofa moratorium, saying itwould be "a knife to small business."

Radio West10:10The Okanagan Basin Water Board is calling on local governments to support a ban on out of province boats in order to prevent local lakes from invasive mussels

The Okanagan Basin Water Board is calling on local governments to support a ban on out of province boats in order to prevent local lakes from invasive mussels

"We are a community that relies on tourism," Gares said. "The ban would decimate our tourism industry when we are just recovering from the pandemic."

Gail Wallin, executive director of the Invasive Species Council of B.C.(ISCB), recommendsinspecting all boats entering the province.

"We need to make sure that there is a mandatory watercraft inspection programthat stopsall watercraftat the inspection," she said in a telephone interview with CBCNews. "That way we can still support our tourism industry without entirely banning the boats."

There are eightinspection stationsin B.C., two of which are roving stations.

In 2015, the province created the Invasive Mussel Defence Programto detect and respond to high-risk mussels entering B.C.

Littley, however, says there are significant gaps in inspections.

"The inspection sites aren't operating around the clock. If aboat comes duringoff-hours, they can getinto B.C. without being stopped at theinspection station," he said. "There also aren't enough inspectors deployed on site."

In a 2023 summer status report on the invasive mussel program, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service(BCCOS) acknowledged that recruiting and retaining new inspectors remainsa challenge.

CBCNews reached out to theBCCOSand B.C.'s Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship forcommenton the proposed moratorium but didn't hear back before deadline.

Zebra and quagga mussels are native to the Black and Caspian seas in southeastern Europe, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, andfirst entered the Great Lakesin the 1980s via ballast water released from commercial shipping vessels.

Peter Stoett, a faculty member of Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ont., who co-authored a report on invasive species, said last month that zebra musselsin theGreat Lakes have driven native mussel species to extinction and cost millions of dollars every year to control.

"We hope we can protect the lakes and rivers of B.C.forour children and grandchildren," Littley said.