Zebra mussel sniffing dogs?

by The Canadian Press -Castanet - Aug 6, 2014 / 8:28 pm
You have heard of bird dogs, but what about mussel mutts? The Alberta government has teamed up with Montana to pay for specially trained dogs that can sniff out zebra and quagga mussels attached to boats. These mussels have caused damage to water treatment infrastructure and aquatic ecosystems in other areas. The hope is that the dogs will detect the mussels on boats being hauled on trailers at highway checkpoints and prevent them from spreading into Alberta waters. The five dogs were trained in the U.S. and will be working for ten-day stretches on each side of the border. Alberta Environment Minister Robin Campbell says prevention is the key because the mussels are almost impossible to get rid of once they get established. “Zebra and quagga mussels pose a huge ecological and financial threat to Alberta, so we wanted to take advantage of every opportunity to stop their spread," Campbell said Wednesday. Quagga and zebra mussels move from lake to lake by attaching themselves to boats and other recreational equipment. Quagga mussels are found in various parts of North America, such as in the Colorado River system in the U.S., a popular destination for Alberta boaters. Zebra mussels were discovered in Lake Winnipeg in October 2013.
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Wednesday, August 6, 2014 4:37 pm  Kelowna Daily Courier
Regional district looking for mussels
A Regional District of Central Okanagan boat launch is part of a Valley-wide network of monitoring stations for invasive mussels. A monitoring device has been installed at the Okanagan Centre Safe Harbour Regional Park boat launch, which is maintained by the regional district. The Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society (OASISS) installed the monitoring station and checks it monthly through the fall, along with taking a plankton sample for any signs of zebra and quagga mussels. Bruce Smith, with the regional district, said the monitoring station consists of a rope with a weight at one end and a series of small sections of PVC pipe and mesh. “If the invasive mollusk species, which range from a grain of sand to thumbnail size, is present, it will attach to this artificial, solid surface,” said Smith. “The monitor is intended to act as a warning device as this would be a likely location that any mussels would show up, being transported on or in boats and trailers.”
The society and the Okanagan Basin Water Board’s Okanagan WaterWise program are encouraging all owners of personal watercraft and boats to check their vessels for signs of the invasive mussels, especially if they have been out of the province. “By adopting the "Clean, Drain, Dry" protocol, residents and visiting boat owners can help protect B.C. lakes from these species, which have caused havoc and created a major economic cost in other jurisdictions because they rapidly colonize on hard surfaces, impacting tourism, recreation and infrastructure,” said Smith.