The fight to keep zebra mussels out of Lake Winnipeg begins today with the deployment of a rubber curtain designed to keep thousands of gallons of potash solution in Winnipeg Beach harbour.
The province has hired ASI Group out of Ontario to kill the invasive species in four harbours in Lake Winnipeg’s south basin.
Dan Butts, a consulting engineer with the company, expressed confidence that the operation would be successful. He said his firm eradicated zebra mussels from an artificial lake in Virginia several years ago.
Two local fishers today said they had no objection to the procedure since the province made arrangements to allow their boats in and out of the harbour during the treatment period.
However, one voiced concern over whether there would be sufficient monitoring to track the mussels in the future.
Agencies/Canadajournal