BC Conservation Service trains 27 more people to inspect watercraft for invasive mussels

There will be more eyes looking for mussels this year.

In the ongoing battle to keep invasive quagga and zebra mussels out of area lakes, the BC Conservation Service has trained 27 more people to inspect watercraft coming in to the province.

“Over the last nine days, 23 new field inspectors were trained in authorities, watercraft inspection, decontamination, officer safety, operational skills and traffic control,” said a post on the BC Conservation Service Facebook page.

“These new Conservation Officer Service staff will join 27 returning field inspectors to operate watercraft inspection stations along the Alberta and US borders, and roving crews that respond to calls for service. Our 50 field inspectors are the face of the IMDP program and critical for preventing the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS), keeping British Columbia’s waterways pristine.”

The mussels are known to hitch a ride in water, plants, mud and animals that find their way onto or inside motorized boats, as well as non-motorized water recreation equipment, including kayaks and paddleboards.

With tourism starting to ramp up for the year, the potential increases for watercraft owners traveling across Canada and up from the United States to launch a contaminated vessel into one of the Okanagan’s beautiful lakes.

For the past several years, the Okanagan Basin Waterboard has operated the Don’t Move a Mussel program each summer.

The awareness campaign gives tips on how to keep area waterways mussel free.