By Times Chronicle Staff
Despite the alarming geographical encroachment of invasive quagga mussels only an 11 hour drive from BC’s border, another year of lake sampling indicates the Okanagan watershed remains free of invasive mussels.
This good news comes on the heels of more disturbing news from the US where, in September, Idaho announced invasive quagga mussels were confirmed in the Snake River, a tributary to the Columbia River. The location at Twin Falls is less than an 11-hour drive from the BC border meaning an ever greater threat from pleasure craft coming from that area to the province’s lakes.
This will be the eleventh year in which the Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society (OASISS) has been monitoring the lakes for invasive mussels in the Okanagan. In 2023, the society collected 131 samples from five lakes across the valley.
“The discovery of invasive mussels so close to BC reinforces the importance of monitoring and continuing our prevention efforts,” says Lisa Scott, Executive Director of OASISS. “The arrival of invasive mussels would have lasting negative impacts to our lakes and rivers, as we have seen in other parts of Canada and the US.”
OASISS highlighted that its monitoring project gets significant financial contributions from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, and the Province of British Columbia. These lake monitoring efforts support the Province’s ongoing delivery of the Invasive Mussel Defence Program. To date, no invasive mussels have been detected in the province.
Zebra and quagga mussels are non-native freshwater mollusks that are originally from Eastern Europe and Western Russia. They were originally introduced to Canada in the late 1980s and since then, have spread into lakes and waterways around North America, mainly by contaminated watercraft.
In regions where they have already established, invasive mussels damage sensitive ecosystems, clog water intake pipes and water infrastructure, ruin beaches, reduce water quality and impact tourism.
The society encourages anyone travelling with a watercraft to clean, drain and dry their boat before entering a new waterbody.
