Whereas the provincial government has only six permanent and two mobile watercraft inspection stations and these stations are the last point of potential inspection before a watercraft enters a body of water or waterway; And whereas stopping at watercraft inspection station is the obligation of the individual transporting the watercraft; And whereas the fine for failing to stop at an inspection station carries a maximum fine of 345; And whereas the cost to mitigate invasive zebra and quagga mussels exceeds the cost of the fine by millions of dollars: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the provincial government to establish additional watercraft inspection stations at boat launches to prevent the spread of invasive quagga and zebra mussels.
Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship The British Columbia government remains committed to preventing invasive mussels from establishing in BC through the ongoing delivery of the Invasive Mussel Defence Program IMDP. The IMDP is delivered by the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship WLRS in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Parks Conservation Officer Service, program funding partners, and neighbouring jurisdictions across Canada and the United States US. Anyone transporting a boat in BC must stop at an open watercraft inspection station along their travel route. This applies to all types of watercraft including sailboats, motorboats, car toppers, kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards. BC recently increased penalties associated with failing to stop at a watercraft inspection station. Through recent updates to the Wildlife Act, the fine has doubled from 345 to 690, for failing to stop at a watercraft inspection station and this applies to all types of watercraft. For the 2025 season, we are increasing the budget to maintain IMDP operations at existing levels. We understand the importance of providing a stable presence along our provincial borders, therefore weve prioritized and reallocated resources from other stewardship programs to support this Program. We continue to request the federal government resume funding the Programs work at federal ports of entry and support our response preparedness should invasive mussels be detected in BC waters. Watercraft inspection stations are located at key entry points into the province along the Alberta and USCanada Border. Targeting boaters when they enter the province at the borders and prior to launching in any BC waters allows the program to maximize available resources. This approach is consistent with neighboring jurisdictions across western Canada and the US running similar watercraft inspection programs. Establishing stations at boat launches is typically done as a containment measure in mussel positive waterbodies. The focus of these stations are to inspect and if necessary decontaminate boats when they exit the waterbody to prevent further spread.