Zebra mussels have spread west to Lake Winnipeg, and experts are warning they and other invasive species could come to Saskatchewan if boaters aren't careful.
Photograph by: John L. Russell, The Canadian Press File Photo , The Starphoenix
The aquatic invasive species working group has a simple, critical message for Saskatchewan boaters: don't move a mussel.
To protect the province's waters, boaters must thoroughly clean their boats and equipment when they travel, the group says.
Quagga mussels have infested the Colorado River system and are spreading through the Pacific Northwest. Zebra mussels have long been established in Quebec, Ontario and the eastern U.S., and have now been found in Lake Winnipeg.
Saskatchewan waters are next in line.
The dime-sized filter feeders have no natural predators, and one female can lay up to 20,000 eggs. As they spread, they consume the phytoplankton critical for local ecosystems. They also clog water intakes and other infrastructure.
By consuming the phytoplankton, zebra mussels have left Lake Ontario so devoid of natural wildlife and the water so clear that it's become a scuba diving destination, Peter Kingsmill of the Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve said.
Redberry Lake itself is safe as the mussels don't fare well in salt water, but freshwater lakes are at risk.
Boaters may be aware zebra mussels are a problem outside the province, but they may not know the mussels are on Saskatchewan's doorstep, Kingsmill said.
While the province isn't connected to the Colorado River and is only indirectly connected to Lake Winnipeg, the mussels are mainly transported by people.
They can attach to boats, anywhere from the propeller to the trailer hitch. They can also attach to float planes, seashells, and agricultural and industrial machinery. They can be spread through fishing derbies. The juvenile mussels are so small as to be invisible to the naked eye, making a thorough cleaning important.
"There could be a thousand of them in your live well, and you can't see them," Brad Ashdown of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation said.
jcharlton@thestarphoenix.com
To protect the province's waters, boaters must thoroughly clean their boats and equipment when they travel, the group says.
Quagga mussels have infested the Colorado River system and are spreading through the Pacific Northwest. Zebra mussels have long been established in Quebec, Ontario and the eastern U.S., and have now been found in Lake Winnipeg.
Saskatchewan waters are next in line.
The dime-sized filter feeders have no natural predators, and one female can lay up to 20,000 eggs. As they spread, they consume the phytoplankton critical for local ecosystems. They also clog water intakes and other infrastructure.
By consuming the phytoplankton, zebra mussels have left Lake Ontario so devoid of natural wildlife and the water so clear that it's become a scuba diving destination, Peter Kingsmill of the Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve said.
Redberry Lake itself is safe as the mussels don't fare well in salt water, but freshwater lakes are at risk.
Boaters may be aware zebra mussels are a problem outside the province, but they may not know the mussels are on Saskatchewan's doorstep, Kingsmill said.
While the province isn't connected to the Colorado River and is only indirectly connected to Lake Winnipeg, the mussels are mainly transported by people.
They can attach to boats, anywhere from the propeller to the trailer hitch. They can also attach to float planes, seashells, and agricultural and industrial machinery. They can be spread through fishing derbies. The juvenile mussels are so small as to be invisible to the naked eye, making a thorough cleaning important.
"There could be a thousand of them in your live well, and you can't see them," Brad Ashdown of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation said.
jcharlton@thestarphoenix.com
© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/Boaters+warned+invasive+mussels/9765941/story.html
No comments:
Post a Comment