Local MP calls on Ottawa to protect waterways from mussels

The federal government’s protection of Canadian lakes and waterways against aquatic invasive species is inadequate, according to a report tabled in the House of Commons Monday by a group of MPs.

The Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans is calling on Ottawa to undertake immediate action to protect Canadian waters from aquatic invasive species.

The report follows a study initiated last November by North Okanagan-Shuswap MP Mel Arnold.

There is extreme concern invasive species, including quagga and zebra mussels, could be transferred to B.C.’s waterways by unsuspecting boaters travelling from other parts of Canada and the United States.

“This report provides important input for the fight against aquatic invasive species across Canada,” Arnold said in a press release. “The committee heard from Canadians on the frontline of the fight against invasive species, including those in the North Okanagan- Shuswap, who successfully conveyed to the committee the acute need for stronger resources and coordination of efforts to protect of our lakes and waterways.”

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A number of Southern Interior bodies testified before the committee, including; the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB), Columbia-Shuswap Invasive Species Council, Shuswap Watershed Council and Invasive Species Council of B.C.

While the annual cost of managing invasive mussels in Ontario alone is an estimated $100 million annually, a 2013 study by the OBWB estimated an infestation in the Okanagan would cost $43 million annually just to manage.

Arnold said the cost of preventing such infestations are much lower than managing invasive species after they’re introduced.

He said the parliamentary report’s recommendations reflect the need for stronger prevention efforts and resources.

“The ecological and economic harms of invasive species like zebra mussels are undisputed, no one is debating the devastation they cause, so our focus must be the timely implementation of measures proven to work,” he said. “Responses I have been receiving from Ministers of Fisheries and Oceans over the past three years to concerns I’ve raised regarding these threats have been unsatisfactory.”

Arnold expressed hope some of the report’s recommendations would be implemented in time for the peak tourist season when thousands of boats will be arriving in Southern Interior.