New video informs on invasive mussels

Jul 29, 2022 | 7:00 AM

The B.C. Day long weekend is one of the busiest times for boating and other recreational activities on the water.

The Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society (OASISS) wants to remind boaters and other water users that their activities can spread invasive mussels.

The society has launched a unique interactive video about how invasive mussels and other aquatic invaders threaten the things they value most about the Okanagan.

The interactive video was filmed throughout the Okanagan Valley and developed for both adults and kids. The project was funded by the RBC Foundation through RBC Tech for Nature.

Image supplied by OASISS.

Reality Check - Life Without a Home

Vernon couple sleep on street as part of homeless awareness initiative

May 02, 2026

Support for the unhoused

Sleeping outside for a cause: Vernon pair backs homeless outreach

May 01, 2026

Youth Mental Health Care

VJH Foundation commits $500K for Foundry North Okanagan

May 01, 2026

“In a time where technology is ever-increasing, we are finding ways to modernize our outreach,” Lisa Scott, Executive Director of OASISS said. “We hope that the interactive video engages new audiences and encourages people to clean, drain and dry their watercraft.”

The interactive video is available to watch on the society’s website. In addition to being posted online, the video will be installed on iPads that will travel with the society’s ‘Mussel Trailer’ to events around the Okanagan. The ‘Mussel Trailer’ was produced by OASISS through a grant from the RBC Blue Water Project in 2016.

This interactive exhibit demonstrates the environmental threat and costly ramifications if invasive mussels were to arrive in the Okanagan.

“Each year the valley attracts thousands of boaters from outside the region. As boating tourism increases, so does the risk for an invasive mussel introduction,” Scott warned. “If invasive mussels were to establish in the Okanagan, they would damage sensitive ecosystems, clog water intake pipes and infrastructure, ruin beaches, reduce water quality and impact tourism.”

To date, there has been no reported introduction of live zebra or quagga mussels into B.C. lakes or waterways. Zebra and quagga mussels are not established in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Oregon, Idaho, Montana or Washington.

by Kevin Rothwell

View Comments