During Invasive Species Awareness Week in Manitoba, Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes announced that the Manitoba government is allocating an additional $540,000 to combat the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS).
This investment includes the creation of a new fund aimed at providing AIS prevention resources to partners throughout the province.
"Any support that we can get that helps the Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program is a step in the right direction," says Chase Dreilich, Recreational Angling Coordinator for the Manitoba Wildlife Federation. "You know, there's a lot of moving parts in that program and I think there's still a lot of perfecting that needs to happen. But I think things are moving in the in the right direction."
Budget 2025 allocates $410,000 for aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention, including the establishment of the Manitoba Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Fund. This fund aims to provide resources to municipal governments, Indigenous governments, non-government organizations, and water-user groups to support the implementation of AIS prevention programs, projects, and initiatives.
Additionally, the Manitoba government is investing $130,000 in equipment specifically for AIS prevention and mitigation efforts.
"When you think of Manitoba as a province, there's so many water bodies across the province and it's a pretty vast landscape to manage, right," shares Drielich. "So, if you can kind of bring things down to the municipal level for the municipalities to help manage and mitigate these threats to the local waters, that makes the management of AIS a little bit easier at that level."
"So that's great to see. And I think it will help in the local management of a lot of these water bodies," he adds.
The spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) caused by human activity is preventable.
Water users are urged to clean, drain, and dry their watercraft and related equipment to avoid spreading AIS. Additionally, anglers are reminded that importing live bait into Manitoba is illegal.
Later this spring, watercraft inspection stations will be established across Manitoba to assist water users in adhering to AIS regulations. Anyone transporting motorized or non-motorized watercraft over land must stop at all open inspection stations along their route. The operating schedules for these stations will be available on the AIS website.
"It's not just the anglers," reminds Dreilich. "It's all the user groups that need to be diligent and be proactive on the AIS threat. It's Manitoba's waters, and all the users need to take care of those waters as well."
Although zebra mussels are getting the most attention right now, Dreilich says we need to be mindful of the other aquatic invasive species that are a threat to Manitoba's waterways, such as the rusty crayfish, the spiny waterflea, quagga mussels and Xenocarp.
"I think this is a good reminder here but there's a number of other AIS species that that are potential risks for Manitoba as well, so if you dig into it a little bit, the province has a lot of this on their website, the Manitoba Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Response Plan. You can find more details on what is actually happening and what's at risk as well."
"Knowledge is power and like I said earlier, being proactive is the ideal response to this", he adds.
Below is a partial list of fines with regards to AIS in Manitoba. For the full list and for more information please visit the Manitoba AIS website HERE!
