Whereas the invasion of zebra and quagga mussels poses a serious threat to watercourses in British Columbia and the primary vector for invasive mussels is watercraft entering the province; And whereas the provincial Invasive Mussel Defence Program IMDP is the first line of defence and remains grossly underfunded with less than 10 watercraft inspection stations throughout the province; And whereas the Province has yet to introduce pull-the-plug legislation, legislation that requires watercraft owners to clean, drain and dry their vessels or mandatory watercraft inspections for vessels entering British Columbia: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask that the Province increase funding for the IMDP, introduce legislation that requires watercraft owners to clean, drain and dry their vessels when entering BC and establish mandatory watercraft inspections to ensure the protection of our watercourses.
Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Keeping BC waters free of invasive mussels is an ongoing priority for our government. Both the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship WLRS and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy the Conservation Officer Service COS in particular remain committed to the shared delivery of the Invasive Mussel Defence Program IMDP and its watercraft inspections, enforcement actions, lake monitoring, and education. The Province will continue to monitor changes in information, knowledge, and threats, as well as collaborate with neighboring jurisdictions in Canada and the United States U.S. to ensure our prevention measures are commensurate to the risks posed by invasive mussels. Regulatory tools to enforce Clean, Drain, Dry such as Pull the Plug legislation has been identified for consideration in the current Wildlife Act review. We encourage recommendations to be submitted through the Wildlife Act review process WildlifeActReviewgov.bc.ca. IMDP funding relies on funding partners and fluctuates annually. In direct response, the Government of BC has either maintained or increased support in recent years, to maintain fundamental program operations. In 2023,, financial support has come from BC Hydro, the Columbia Basin Trust, Columbia Power, and three BC ministries. Having your support in seeking funding increases is critical to our Ministries ability to work with funding partners to keep the IMDP a collective priority. It is mandatory for anyone transporting a boat in BC to stop at an open inspection station along their travel route during the boating season, from April to October. Watercraft and related equipment include sailboats, motorboats, car toppers, kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards being transported.