Invasive species threat spurs paddling ban in some waterways in Jasper, other national parks

The threat of aquatic invasive species (AIS) is closing many lakes and rivers to watercraft in mountain national parks in Alberta, prompting some paddlers to push for a more collaborative approach to dealing with the issue.

Starting this spring, lakes and rivers in Jasper National Park — as well as in Banff, Yoho, Kootenay and Waterton Lakes — will be split into three zones, each with different rules for water activities. While some popular lakes and rivers remain open to paddlers, the restrictions largely affect the backcountry. 

Andrew Loughlin, a Jasper-based whitewater veteran for more than 20 years, called the new restrictions “soul-crushing” in a letter he sent to Parks Canada. 

“Some of the most special places that I've been in the park, I've got to in a boat,” he told CBC News. “And a lot of those places you can't get to any other way.”

Loughlin said he estimates over 75 per cent of the navigable waterways in Jasper are now off-limits. 

The decision comes after the news emerged earlier this month that whirling disease has been confirmed in Lake Louise, which Parks Canada said is “almost certainly” the result of human activity on the lake.

The disease, also present in Banff, Yoho and Kootenay, causes skeletal deformities in young fish like salmon, whitefish and trout. It can kill up to 90 per cent of young fish populations.

“This disease is now on our doorstep, and it's important that we act now to reduce the risk of it spreading further,” Dave Argument, a resource conservation manager with Parks Canada, said at Jasper National Park’s annual forum earlier this month.

Once invasive species and diseases are introduced, he said, they are often impossible to remove and can spread downstream.

Parks Canada states on its website that AIS are often spread through watercraft and fishing gear moved between lakes and rivers.

Argument said Parks Canada did not make the decisions to impose restrictions lightly.

“Each watershed was carefully assessed to determine the most effective way to protect aquatic ecosystems while continuing to support recreation where it can occur safely,” he said.

While the main stem of the Athabasca River remains open for recreation, the “veins” that feed it — the more advanced backcountry routes with Class 4 and Class 5 rapids — are largely closed to watercraft, fishing waders and windsports.

Some rivers will remain open to paddlers because they are downstream of features such as waterfalls, which Parks Canada says act as natural barriers to AIS travelling upstream.