Invasive plant makes its way to Quebec's Cte-Nord region

The Eurasianmilfoil, an invasive plant that has already popped up in some Quebec lakes, has now made its first appearance in Quebec's Cte-Nord region.

Members of a regional environmental group, l'Organisme de bassins versants de la Haute-Cte-Nord,observed the plant at Lac Gobeil and Lac Jrme, about 120 kilometres east of the city of Sagenuay.

The plant, which is native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, spreads rapidly and multiplies when it is cut by a boat propeller.

A formidable menace

Eurasian milfoil is the bane of scientists. It takes root at the bottom of lakes and can reach a height up to 10 metres, forming a layer at the surface of the water.

A single fragment a centimetre long is enough to produce a new plant when it settles at the bottom of a lake.

The plant kills other native plants and harms fish species that live in lakes.

According to Nicolas Ferron, a biologist and member of the local environmental group that found the plant in the region, it was likely brought into the lakes by a poorly-cleaned boat or a seaplane.

Boats and boat trailers with pieces of theplant on them are thought to be the most common way it spreads from one body of water to another.

• Invasive plant clogging Quebec lakes

Ferron explained that several attempts have been made elsewhere in Quebec to stop the water plant.

Last year, researchers assembled a giant web made of burlap and submerged it in Lac Pmichangan, in the Outaouais region, to try to kill the plants. The project garnered mixed results.

While it's difficultto get rid of the plant once it has taken root, properly washing boats and other watercraft after taking them out is the best way to prevent the plant from spreading, Ferron said.