5 B.C. politicians demanding Ottawa spend more on aquatic invasive species prevention

Currently, B.C. has six watercraft inspection stations: Four along the Alberta border and two along the U.S. border.

Five politicians in B.C.’s Interior are demanding the federal government increase spending on protecting provincial waterways from invasive species.

In a joint letter published on Thursday, the Conservative MPs stated that inequitable funding and a lack of border inspections are leaving lakes and rivers across B.C. vulnerable to invasive mussels.

“These invasive species have devastated water bodies on both sides of the border, posing a significant threat to ecosystems, water infrastructure, and the tourism industry,” said the letter.

Currently, B.C. has six watercraft inspection stations: Four along the Alberta border (Dawson Creek, Mt. Robson, Golden, Olsen) and two along the U.S. border (Osyoos, Yahk).

The province also has two roving inspection crews (Lower Mainland, Penticton).

During summer, the province said 16,500 inspections had been completed as of Aug. 14, with crews interacting with around 31,000 people on the preventative step of cleaning, draining and drying their boats when moving between lakes.

“During the inspections, 124 watercraft were identified as high risk, 51 decontamination orders were issued, and 28 watercraft were given quarantine periods to meet the required drying time,” said the province, adding 62 decontaminations had been performed at the time.

Further, of the 16,500 inspections, 10 watercraft were confirmed to have adult invasive mussels. Seven were from Ontario with the remaining three from the U.S. (Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina).