File photo (Image credit: Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society).

By Aaron Schulze

Invasive Species

Shuswap watershed groups warn watercraft users after invasive mussel species detected in Idaho

Nov 8, 2023 | 7:00 AM

SALMON ARM, B.C. — Quagga and Zebra mussels have recently been discovered, but it’s not considered a flex for Shuswap watershed groups.

In a news release issued Tuesday (Nov. 7), the Shuswap Watershed Council (SWC) and Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society (CSISS) say Quagga mussels have been detected in the Snake River at Twin Falls, Idaho and is the closest known presence of invasive mussels to B.C.

According to the groups, authorities in Idaho have banned boaters, hunters and fishers from being on the Snake River to prevent further spread of the mussels.

The watershed groups say the main way Quagga and Zebra mussels spread is via watercraft and other water gear. Adult mussels attach themselves directly, and juvenile mussels float freely in trapped water within boats and other items. The groups say the mussels can survive a long journey from one waterbody to another attached to watercraft, despite being out of water for several days.

“Watercraft users should clean-drain-dry and stop for watercraft inspection whenever they travel – that includes boats, paddleboards, kayaks and canoes, inflatable dinghies, personal watercraft and more. All it takes is one contaminated boat or watercraft launching into B.C. waters, and our freshwater could be altered forever, Robyn Hooper, CSISS executive director states.

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Once introduced to a waterbody, the watershed groups say the mussels wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems and underwater infrastructure. In a report published in May, the B.C. government estimated an annual cost between $64 million and $129 million to deal with the impacts of invasive mussels in the province.

Between April 1 and Aug. 14, 2023, the province says 10 mussel-infested watercraft that were bound for the Thompson-Nicola, Okanagan and lower mainland were intercepted at eight provincial watercraft inspection stations. The infested watercraft were from Ontario, Michigan, Nevada and South Carolina.