The Kelowna Chamber is pushing for an immediate temporary moratorium on out-of-province boats to help prevent invasive mussels from infesting B.C. waterways.
A letter, signed by several chambers and boards of trades throughout the Thompson-Okanagan, has been sent to the responsible provincial and federal ministers.
It asks for round-the-clock monitoring of boats being brought into B.C. across the Alberta and U.S. borders.
Invasive mussels have been recently detected in Idaho’s Snake River, just an 11-hour drive from B.C.
READ MORE: Mussel scare prompts Okanagan Water Board to call for out-of-province boat ban
In late 2023, the federal government announced that it was planning to cut funding that supports invasive mussel inspections.
The letter also asks that the moratorium last at least until the results of water treatment in Idaho, to kill off the mussels, are assessed.
“This scourge has already ruined many freshwater lakes and rivers in Canada, and is currently irreversible,” said Dan Rogers, Kelowna Chamber chair. “We have a good chance to stop it before it becomes established in our beautiful province.”
The Okanagan Basin Water Board previously asked the province for a temporary moratorium on out-of-province watercraft, as well as stepped-up inspections, and $4 million per year funding of the Invasive Mussel Defence Program (IMDP).
READ MORE: Okanagan water board fears funding cuts to Invasive Mussel Program
Thompson-Okanagan chambers support those actions and have requested that the province recruit and retain inspection staff, and update an early detection rapid response plan among other items.
READ MORE: Kelowna council making moves to ‘mussel’ out invasive water species