Whereas currently the very dangerous Zebra and Quagga mussels have not yet been identified as having invaded watercourses lakes, rivers, streams in British Columbia; And whereas these invasive aquatic species are devastating to all aspects of watercourses by altering the eco-system of the watercourses, negatively affecting spawning areas which harm the survival of fish eggs, seriously reducing the availability of food for native aquatic species, damaging essential infrastructure and negatively affecting recreational activities; And whereas all these negative affects of the Zebra and Quagga mussels if invasion occurs in British Columbia watercourses will cost the taxpayers of British Columbia millions, if not billions of dollars in lost tourism, loss of economic development opportunities, damage to critical infrastructure, and other unknown costs: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the BC provincial government to lobby the federal government to provide more financial, educational and enforcement support for the protection of British Columbia watercourses from aquatic invasive mussels.
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy Since 2015, BC has been implementing the Invasive Mussel Defence Program IMDP in collaboration with numerous partners including the program funders BC Hydro, Columbia Basin Trust, Fortis BC and Columbia Power Corp., Fisheries and Oceans Canada DFO, Canada Border Services Agency CBSA, and neighbouring provinces and territories AB, SK, MB, YK and US states WA, OR, MT, ID. The prevention and the control of aquatic invasive species AIS is a shared priority and responsibility across federal, provincial and territorial governments. AIS, including zebra and quagga mussels, are regulated under the federal Aquatic Invasive Species Regulation under the Fisheries Act and under the Provincial Controlled Alien Species Regulation under the Wildlife Act. The Province actively works with federal counterparts and other provincial and territorial partners to protect against the threat of aquatic invasive species in BC waterways, including prevention, early detection and rapid response. The IMDP continues to work with the CBSA to receive notifications of watercraft at the southern border crossings. This includes 24hr coverage along several of the southern border crossings and the program receives notification for all types of watercraft including canoes, kayaks, and river rafts. In addition, Ministry of Environment and Climate Strategy staff have been meeting regularly with DFO AIS program staff to identify priorities for areas of collaboration and to ensure AIS Program outcomes are harmonized across the respective jurisdictions. The Province of BC is also a member of the National Aquatic Invasive Species Committee NAISC which focuses on coordination across federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions to identify shared AIS priorities. The Province will continue to work closely with federal partners to improve financial, educational and enforcement support for the protection of British Columbia watercourses from aquatic invasive mussels. For further questions regarding the federal Aquatic Invasive Species Regulation or the National AIS core program please contact DFO.