Photo courtesy of Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center

In September, the ELC formally questioned the federal government’s lack of meaningful support and decision to reduce funding for programs that help protect BC from the devastating spread of invasive zebra and quagga mussels. These species pose a serious threat and will cause significant environmental harm and costly infrastructure damage if allowed to take hold.

On behalf of the B.C. Wildlife Federation (BCWF), the ELC submitted the questions through an Environmental Petition to the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development. The petition outlines the legal responsibilities of the federal government in preventing aquatic invasive species, highlights critical gaps in federal leadership and support, and poses direct questions to the ministries involved in invasive species prevention.

“If the federal government doesn’t quickly act on its legal obligations to help prevent the spread of invasive mussels,” says ELC lawyer Patricia Weber, “BC’s lands and water systems could suffer significant damage.”

WHY IT MATTERS

Invasive mussels can destabilize entire aquatic food webs, fuel harmful algal blooms, degrade water quality for both wildlife and human use, and threaten native species, including those already at risk. They adhere to and clog water intake pipes and hydroelectrical systems, causing significant damage. Other jurisdictions spend millions annually to manage invasive mussels. Prevention is not only more effective – it’s more affordable.

The mussels primarily spread through the human activity of recreational boating, which makes inspection and decontamination efforts crucial. All it takes is one contaminated boat to spread zebra and quagga mussels to BC waters. Zebra and quagga mussels have spread across North America over the last few decades, and they’re right on BC’s doorstep.

PREVENTION WORKS BUT IT NEEDS SUPPORT

In 2023 alone, BC’s Invasive Mussel Defence Program intercepted 155 high-risk watercrafts bound for the province. Local, provincial and Indigenous partners are working hard to keep BC mussel-free, but renewed federal engagement and funding is needed to meet the scale of the threat.

“The federal government has a legal obligation to protect fish and fish habitat, including through the prevention of aquatic invasive species,” says Weber. “BC needs increased funding under the federal government’s Aquatic Invasive Species Protection Fund to prevent this problem from becoming an environmental and economic disaster.”

Without federal support, local efforts are at risk of being outpaced by this growing crisis. “The choice is clear,” says Weber. “Pay now to prevent the problem or pay a lot more later to fix it.”