The fight to keep zebra mussels out of Saskatchewan
Fishing season is upon us but there’s one thing you don’t want to be bringing home after a successful expedition: Zebra mussels.
The invasive and destructive species has been spreading east from the Great Lakes and Hudson River over the past 30 years and have now been identified in at least two Manitoba lakes.
Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation Darrell Crabbe said it’s crucial to keep the mussels out of the province. That’s not only because they decimate the food source for small fish which can then impact the entire food chain, but because they attach to water intakes which is a major problem for industry.
“It would have a huge impact on the likes of SaskPower and the potash industry for example,” Crabbe told paNOW. “In Ontario they spend millions of dollars a year trying to deal with the effects of zebra mussels.”