Manitoba currently has 17 Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in our lakes and rivers, ranging from zebra mussels to crayfish to black algae. 

The Province of Manitoba operates the AIS Watercraft Inspection Program from late spring through the summer months and into the middle of fall.   All watercraft must stop for an inspection when the watercraft stations are open, this includes a motorboat, sailboat, personal watercraft, canoe, kayak, or other things designed to transport a person on the water. Set fines for AIS offences are in effect year-round.  

Candace Parks is the Aquatic Invasive Species Specialist for Manitoba and works through the Department of Agriculture And Resource Development.  In our province, we have Aquatic Invasive Species Control Zones.  “These are areas where we know there is an Aquatic Invasive Species, or there will be due to water movement,” explains Parks.  “The main example would be the Central Control Zone which includes the Red River and Lake Winnipeg.”   

There are 6 inspections stations at these specific control zones across the province.  Decontamination units are generally available at all stations unless otherwise stated.  These checkpoints are mandatory stops for watercraft users but keeping our water bodies safe starts with us doing our due diligence to be aware of AIS and then take the necessary steps to stop the introduction of AIS into unaffected waters.

This starts with the following steps: Clean, Drain and Dry everything that has come in contact with any water body in Manitoba.

Clean: 

“If you come out of a waterbody, if you’re a boater, beach-goer, swimmer, etc, you need to make sure there are no aquatic plants hanging from your watercraft or trailer because aquatic plants can also be invasive,” explains Parks, “and make sure there is nothing attached to your watercraft.  Take your hand and run it along the hull of your watercraft and if it feels like sandpaper that could already by zebra mussels attaching to the hull of your watercraft.  It all has to come off before you leave the shore.”

Drain: 

“Drain all the water,” states Parks.  “We don’t any water moved from the waterbody elsewhere so drain your motor, your live well.  Bait buckets as well need to be drained onshore, you can’t move them around.  Even your kids’ sand pails need to be drained, you can’t move that water away from the shore.”

Dry:

“Dry all water-related equipment,” she says. “That could be anchors, ropes, PFD’s, even your kids’ sand pails, any equipment that’s used in the surface water is considered water-related equipment.  That equipment must be completely dry before it’s placed into another water body.”

“These are the steps across the board in Manitoba that have to be done to ensure we are not spreading any Aquatic Invasive Species.

CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY, DISPOSE and if necessary, DECONTAMINATE.  IT’S THE LAW!

In addition to the initial Clean, Drain, Dry steps, a call to action must be taken if you come out of an AIS Control Zone. 

“If you come out of an Aquatic Invasive Species Control Zone, in addition to Clean, Drain, and Dry you must dispose of all your bait onshore as well as do complete decontamination on your watercraft and water equipment before it is placed into another water body,” explains Parks. 

“Traditionally in the summer in Manitoba, the Province has the watercraft inspection program where boaters come to us and we can help people get compliant and do decontamination using a low pressure, high-temperature rinse."

Parks says there is a big difference between cleaning a watercraft and decontaminating a watercraft. 

She adds that people can self-decontaminate their units and equipment, however, the challenge remains at using water that is hot enough to do so: 50 degrees C or 122 degrees F.   “The temperature that you need to do decontamination effectively and under the law, is 50 degrees Celsius and usually hot water tanks aren’t set that high, they’re usually 40 degrees C so it is a little bit of a tedious process.” 

Smaller items like life jackets, sand pails, ropes, and swimsuits can be put into the freezer for 3 days to kill off the unwanted critters.  This holds true for ice-fishing equipment as well.  Ice-fishing in Lake Winnipeg can potentially transfer AIS to other waterbodies if your equipment isn't frozen properly in between trips.  Some boaters wanting to fish for their favorite walleye in Lake Winnipeg, or catfish in the Red River, wait for the end of the summer season making those waterbodies the very last of the year so their watercraft can freeze (and kill AIS hitchhikers) through the entire winter, thus hitting the re-set button for the next spring.

The 6 watercraft inspection stations operating over the open water season is from the beginning of May to the beginning of November and they will do decontamination right on-site, free of charge. 

Parks says she is encouraged by the number of Manitobans who are truly concerned about the health of our Province’s water bodies and want to find out more ways to keep them safe. 

For more information on Manitoba AIS, click here.