Jackfish Lake area still free of zebra mussels

“In the first round, we don’t have any positive findings yet,” he said of testings from June.

Another set of testings sent in more recently haven’t received results back yet. The North Saskatchewan River has also been tested.

At the same time, experts are also testing for a related species – the quagga mussels, which also haven’t been found in the province.

That’s all good news for Hlasny.

“When we are monitoring and we find something, well, that is just the beginning of how to stop the spread,” he said.

Hlasny said the government aims to increase awareness and educate the public about how important it is for residents to inspect their boats if they have been in other locations where zebra mussels are known to be present.

The government has been promoting the “Clean, Drain and Dry” program, so people remember to always check their watercraft for any invasive species, to protect the lake system.

Hlasny added people should try to imagine that every water body is infected, so they get into the constant habit of checking and cleaning their crafts.

“If they ever did get here, that is what’s going to have to happen no matter what, so we don’t increase the spread of mussels,” he said.

“From what we’ve seen, people are starting to get an understanding of zebra mussels,” he said. “We’ve put up a lot of signage.”

Zebra mussels will attach to a boat’s propeller, clog motors, and also clog infrastructure.

“They will plug all the [water] intakes, mainly the hydro dams,” said Hlasny.

Because these mussels have sharp shells, they can also cause people to cut their feet when they encounter them on the beach.

Experts are currently studying how they may impact the fisheries.

“They are very hard to eradicate,” Hlasny added.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW

by Angela Brown

Jackfish Lake area still free of zebra mussels

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