Times Chronicle – July 22, 2022
Since 2015, B.C. has taken its fight against invasive zebra and quagga mussels to the streets with the Invasive Mussel Defence Program, which seeks to identify and quarantine contaminated water-faring vessels before they even reach the province.
At the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) July meeting, Ministry of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship’s Martina Beck and BC Conservation Officer Dave Webster presented the results and findings gathered in those seven years and took questions on the future of their fight.
Because zebra and quagga mussels are designated as prohibited alien species, whether alive or dead, the province has the authority to inspect any vehicles and vessels at the border to determine whether they are carriers of the invasive mussels.