As the threat of invasive mussels gets closer to BC’s borders, HCTF is grateful for the continued federal and provincial support for the Provincial Invasive Mussels Monitoring Program that HCTF administers.

This year the Invasive Mussel Monitoring Grant will administer 11 projects for a total of $168,123 in funding. Each project will undertake sampling of several waterbodies throughout the summer months, with the results reported to HCTF and the Province of BC over fall/winter.

See below for a map of the lakes and rivers that will be sampled in 2024.

The Invasive Mussels Monitoring Program which HCTF administers is part of a 3 prong approach that also includes outreach, educating the public about the need to prevent the spread of highly contagious zebra and quagga mussels, and vehicle inspection stations to keep any mussels-contaminated watercraft from entering B.C. waterbodies. Increasingly, the projects will also work with First Nation Guardian programs; last year the Lillooet Regional Invasive Species Society provided training to T’it’q’et-P’egp’ig’lha and Xwísten Fisheries Guardians, and the Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society worked alongside members of the Skwlāx te Secwepemcu’lecw Guardian Program.

Xwísten Fisheries Crew Sampling at Seton Lake

In addition to the monitoring grants, HCTF approved $100,000 in funding for the BC Wildlife Federation towards the Invasive Mussel Defence Program. This program will support Conservation Officers in watercraft inspections throughout BC; inspections play an integral role in preventing the spread of invasive mussels into BC’s freshwater systems.

For more information on the Invasive Mussel Defence Program, please see the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship’s recent press release: Province, partners step up fight against invasive mussels.