Boats intercepted with zebra mussels in British Columbia, Report

B.C.’s Conservation Officer Service (COS) recently intercepted a watercraft that had an invasive mussel hiding on it.

According to the conservation service, the boat coming from Ontario to B.C. failed to stop at an inspection station on April 28, near Elko on Highway 3.

A conservation officer tracked down the vehicle and diverted it back to the inspection station, said Chris Doyle, deputy chief of provincial operations for the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.

“The boat it was towing was found to have zebra mussels on it,” Doyle said. “That watercraft was detained and impounded and as well the driver was charged for failing to stop at the inspection station.”

Inspection teams have checked 1,200 boats so far this year. Of those, 64 were flagged as coming from high-risk locations, resulting in 12 decontamination orders and seven 30-day quarantines.

Agencies/Canadajournal