Alberta is once again flexing its collective muscles to keep aquatic invasive species out.
The province has announced it will be the first one in Canada to require mandatory inspections for all incoming watercraft.
Those mandatory inspections start on June 1st for anyone travelling with a boat, jet ski, kayak, or other watercraft across the province’s southern or eastern borders.
The goal is to keep Alberta 100 per cent free of zebra mussels and quagga mussels. In a media release, the provincial government states that these invasive species “destroy ecosystems, threaten shorelines, and can cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damaged infrastructure.”
Rebecca Schulz, Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, points out that they are hiring more staff, opening a record 11 inspection stations across the province this year, and there will be one station open around the clock 24 hours a day. She says “to help Albertans follow the rules, we will also be launching a new proof of inspection sticker. Owners will get this sticker for display once their watercraft has visited a station. This will help us track when and where boaters have been inspected. This is a big step, again it is a first for Canada, and we know it will be a transition. That is why we are starting to spread the word now.”
Information about locations and operating hours is available online at alberta.ca/watercraftinspections.
Last year, the province increased the fine for failing to stop at an open inspection station from $324 up to $4,200.
