Ensuring a clean vessel enters the water should be a top priority for boaters this season.
With the revelation that koi fish are, in fact, a burgeoning new species of fish in the Boundary Dam reservoir, the Upper Souris Watershed Association is looking to turn some attention toward its new program focusing on the dangers and damaging nature of non-native, invasive species being introduced into the water system.
For Watershed Co-ordinator Dave Pattyson and the rest of the watershed board, hearing about koi in Boundary Dam was a surprise. He said the watershed is looking to unveil a campaign on how to be cognizant and help protect against introducing a new species into the watershed, and the story about koi fish, seen in last week's Mercury pages, seemed an appropriate time to get the message out.
Pattyson said the watershed's campaign looks more at the threat of zebra mussels, as they have been found in Lake Winnipeg, but the same rules apply. When moving equipment from one water system to another, it's important to ensure everything is clean and the potential for cross-contamination is minimized.
"In the case of zebra mussels, it's really easy to bring them in unknowingly," said Pattyson, who added that at their first stage of growth, they may not be visible on equipment like the bottom of a boat.
By rubbing a hand along the hull, he said, they may be identified by a rough, sandpaper feel.
"That would be an indication you may have zebra mussels attached. They just recently found zebra mussels in Lake Winnipeg and are taking some control measures, however once this species is introduced into a reservoir, it is very difficult to try to eradicate the species," said Pattyson.
The infestation of Lake Winnipeg remains relatively contained.
The watershed co-ordinator said prevention is the key because it's so complicated and in some cases not possible to remove an invasive species once it enters a new system.
"There's always potential to move something, so between reservoirs it's important that sanitization procedures are carried out when moving from one reservoir to another.
"Any boat entering waters, ideally, everything would be drained, so any tanks, bilges, anything like that," said Pattyson, noting those should be allowed to dry before re-entering another body of water.
The watershed calls it draining, dripping, drying, and they highly recommend it, particularly if boaters are coming from an area that is exposed to zebra mussels.
"Do a really good cleaning of the equipment before entering another reservoir," he said. "Probably the starting point, is removing any material that may be hanging up on the equipment, draining everything and pressure washing."
He said when pressure washing, it shouldn't be done where what is removed would then enter a sewer system.
Pattyson also advised against moving bait from one reservoir to another, and added they don't know of any particular species invading local reservoirs at this time.
"We are not aware of any other species, and the koi fish took us by surprise. However, at this stage, we're only just commencing a monitoring program," said Pattyson.
That program will have the watershed working with the Ministry of Environment, which is looking at a number of reservoirs across Saskatchewan. The southeast is a location of particular interest when it comes to reservoirs and river systems, with Boundary and Rafferty Dam reservoirs near Estevan and the Alameda Dam reservoir close by.
"They're fairly close to the international boundary and close to the whole Assiniboine system. The Rafferty and Alameda reservoirs are going to be two of their focuses."
In conjunction with the ministry, he said there will be monitoring traps set in the reservoirs and later this summer they will complete some dragging to provide census data from the reservoirs.
