聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Saskatchewan has numerous fresh water bodies strewn throughout the land, which provides habitats to numerous aquatic species. There is a possible threat to aquatic ecosystems, however, in the form of zebra and quagga mussels.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Native to the Baltic Sea these mussels were brought to North America by the bilge water of ships. An intrusive species in Canada, however, the mussels quickly become infestations. David Pattyson, coordinator with the Upper Souris Watershed Association, spoke to the importance of monitoring for mussels.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淢ussel infestations can change the entire ecosystem of a lake in ways we wouldn鈥檛 want to see,鈥� Pattyson explained. 鈥淭hey infest fish spawning habitats and can alter the ecosystem irrevocably.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淩ecently a known infestation has come to Lake Winnipeg and through several reservoirs across the United States. They鈥檝e been in the Great Lakes for about 20 years now and they spend millions of dollars on cleaning mussels from equipment.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Pattyson went on to say that a mussel the size of the tip of his finger can filter up to one litre of water per day. They feed on small aquatic organisms, which fish also need to survive and therefore challenge native species for the food supply and spawning habitat.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Within the Upper Souris Watershed there are substrate samplers set up at Nickle, Rafferty, Boundary, White Bear, Kenosee Lake, and two at Alameda Dam.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e鈥檙e working with anglers and recreational boat users to demonstrate and prevent infestations of any aquatic invasive species,鈥� he said.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淧roperly cleaning your equipment, draining and drying it is important. Anything that enters the water can possibly become infested, even just a canoe, so we鈥檙e monitoring our area. If we are diligent in educating people and watching for the first signs of mussels we can hopefully prevent the issue.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Pattyson added that they are looking for volunteers who might be willing to check the substrate samplers in the communities, record, and report the findings to the watershed.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎t their smallest stage they鈥檙e almost invisible to the naked eye,鈥� Pattyson explained. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e most likely to hitch a ride on a boat and a lot of times mussel infestations can first be seen at the boat launch docks.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎ny equipment that has been in the water and comes out with a sandpaper feel is a good indicator or if anything that looks like a mussel is attached then that鈥檚 probably what it is. The other species we have in Saskatchewan that have a hard shell don鈥檛 attach. If people suspect these infestations call the Saskatchewan Environment鈥檚 tip line because a Conservation Officer won鈥檛 be upset if they have to come out for a false call.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Currently Saskatchewan is free of zebra and quagga mussels, but they are easily transported.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭here was a boat caught going into an Alberta lake, which was positive for mussels, and it had come from Ontario,鈥� Pattyson stated. 鈥淭hey can survive in standing water beyond 30 days, so it鈥檚 important to properly clean your equipment.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Pattyson and co-workers were out during the Alameda Fishing Derby where they educated boaters on ways to stop aquatic invasive species.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 been really good because we鈥檝e informed about 100 boats today and prior to that we had educated about 130 boaters,鈥� he explained.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 So, what is proper care for ensuring aquatic species are not transferred from one body of water to another? They recommend cleaning all of the equipment including the watercraft, trailer, and all related items. Remove any visible plants, animals, and mud prior to leaving the boat launch area. Inspect drain holes, transducers, motors, propellers, as well as the trailer and vehicle. Then wash, scrub and rinse with hot tap water, but ensure you鈥檙e not near storm drains, ditches, or waterways.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Prior to leaving the boat launch area drain water from the motor, live wells, bilge, ballast tanks, etc鈥� and then flush this with hot tap water. Leave the plugs out during transportation and storage.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Finally dry your watercraft and any equipment or gear used. Leave all compartments open to dry.
