Manitoba has unveiled a comprehensive plan to prevent the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) such as zebra mussels and mitigate their impact on the province's waters, environment, and economy.
The plan, announced by Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources Minister Jamie Moses and Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt, focuses on controlling AIS from entering Manitoba's water bodies and minimizing their adverse effects.
"Manitoba is home to over 100,000 lakes, making up 16 per cent of our province," said Moses. "Our water resources are a central part of our communities, natural ecosystems and economy, and often a major part of our experiences and memories. One of the biggest threats to our waterways is aquatic invasive species. Our plan, along with increased funding in Budget 2024 will help prevent the spread of AIS."
AIS can potentially disrupt native species, impact biodiversity, compromise water quality, and damage watercraft. Additionally, they can adversely affect Indigenous harvesting, commercial fishing, and waterway infrastructure. Minister Schmidt stressed the shared responsibility of Manitobans in safeguarding the province's water resources and highlighted the need for collective efforts outlined in the plan.
"It is paramount that we work together to protect and preserve our water and natural resources for generations to come," said Schmidt. "Preventing AIS spread is a shared responsibility among all Manitobans. This plan presents ways to work together as one province to undertake the crucial task ahead of us to keep our waterways safe."
The five keys to Manitoba's plan are legislation, prevention, monitoring, early detection and rapid response, and Management and Adaption.
Over the summer, water users are reminded of the requirements to clean, drain and dry watercraft and water-related equipment to prevent the spread of AIS, said Moses.
An important part of Manitoba's plan are the watercraft inspection stations that are set up throughout Manitoba to help water users comply with AIS requirements. Anyone transporting motorized or non-motorized watercraft over land must stop at all open watercraft inspection stations along their route.
With increased funding for 2024, the Manitoba government is piloting a new approach to watercraft inspections and decontamination by adding mobile watercraft inspection stations. In its first weekend, this program already successfully detected zebra mussels before they could spread.
These new mobile stations will visit various locations around Manitoba during the open water season. Mobile stations allow watercraft inspectors to expand operations into new areas of Manitoba to enhance Manitoba’s overall inspection and decontamination capacity, and connect with more watercraft owners to provide education and increase awareness.
For up-to-date station location and hours of operation, including mobile station updates, visit www.gov.mb.ca/stopais/spread/watercraft_inspection.html.
Regulations for Manitobans to clean, drain and dry their watercraft are legally required for both motorized and non-motorized watercraft, including power boats, jet skis, sailboats, stand-up paddle boards, canoes and kayaks, as well as all water-related equipment including:
- watercraft trailers;
- fishing gear;
- water pumps;
- personal flotation devices, including life jackets;
- paddles and anchors;
- beach toys (such as sand pails and shovels);
- floating devices and inflatables (such as tubes, rafts, water mats and hunting decoys), and
- scuba and snorkelling gear.
Meanwhile, Parks Canada announced on Friday, that while conducting a visual survey on Wednesday, Parks Canada snorkellers found one partial shell and one living, adult sized zebra mussel attached to a rock near Boat Cove, in Clear Lake, in Riding Mountain National Park. Water samples collected from Boat Cove from June 19-27, 2024, have also tested positive for environmental DNA from zebra mussels. This evidence shows zebra mussels are building a presence in Clear Lake.
An impermeable containment curtain is expected to arrive next week. This curtain will be deployed from Boat Cove to the pier and will isolate the area where the zebra mussel was found from the rest of the lake. The Boat Cove area will be closed to the public during the installation of the containment curtain. Once installed, the containment curtain is not expected to impact the operations of the tour boat The Martese, or the ability of park visitors to use the lake for swimming or fishing.
To view Manitoba’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention and Response Plan and for more information on AIS, including locations and hours of watercraft inspection stations and details on decontamination requirements, visit www.manitoba.ca/StopAIS.