Imagine your boat so covered in mussels that you must scrape it off every time you want to use it. Imagine native species like trout disappearing from your favourite lake. Imagine intake pipes so clogged that water no longer flows to your house. These issues are real in many parts of North America already. The culprit? Invasive mussels.
Zebra and quagga mussels are invasive aquatics species that form large colonies that can literally smother out native aquatic species of plants and other aquatic organisms. Because they are efficient filter feeders, zebra and quagga mussels can change ecosystems and food sources critical to native species like salmon and trout. They can also grow on native mussels and other bivalves, preventing them from opening and feeding.
These mussels cause major economic problems. They rapidly colonize hard surfaces like boats, engines, and docks and are very challenging to clean off. The colonies can form dense mats in pipes that clog water-intake systems at power plants, dams, public water supplies and other infrastructure. They cost hundreds of millions of dollars a year in damages and control where they have invaded.
Because zebra and quagga mussels are native to Eurasia, they don’t have predators to control them in Canada. They entered the Great Lakes in the mid-1980s in ship ballast water and have spread to more than 20 U.S. states, as well as Ontario and Quebec. Like other water-based invasive species, they spread by attaching themselves to boats and equipment. The mussels are easily transported because they can live out of water for many days.
Luckily, zebra and quagga mussels are not known in B.C., but they could arrive any day. Idaho and Washington (along with other U.S. states) have regular inspection stations to check boats for standing water and for signs of zebra and quagga mussels. To date, zebra and quagga mussels have have been found on over 20 boats entering Washington and some boats heading for B.C.
To prevent the introduction of zebra and quagga mussels to BC, the Central Kootenay Invasive Plant Committee (CKIPC) urges all boaters to clean, drain and dry their boats and equipment on dry land before and after entering any water bodies.
These invasive mussels can generally be identified because they cling to hard surfaces whereas native mussels tend to live in sediment. Please report any suspected sightings to the Central Kootenay Invasive Plant Committee at 250-352-1160 or coordinator@kootenayweeds.com. Prevention and early detection are critical for control of these invasive species. Don’t move a mussel!