Question Period Note: Aquatic Invasive Species

Aquatic Invasive Species

Our government understands the importance of protecting the biodiversity and quality of Canadian waters. As such, we are focused on coordinating our efforts to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in Canada.

Aquatic invasive species pose a serious threat to Canada’s freshwater and marine ecosystems, and preventing negative impacts to our biodiversity, economy and society is a priority for this Government.

The management of aquatic invasive species is a responsibility that the federal government shares with provincial and territorial governments, and we continue to work closely with them and our U.S. counterparts to support prevention and response activities to protect our mutual resources.

Zebra and Quagga Mussels
Zebra mussels are established in the Lake Winnipeg watershed, which is the current western invasion front in Canada. DFO is collaborating with provincial governments in the Prairies and has developed a framework for response plans with them.

In Quebec, Zebra mussels are established in the St-Lawrence river, have been observed in Lake Memphremagog since 2017 and were newly detected in Lake Massawippi in the Estrie in 2021. DFO has partnered with the Quebec government and local stakeholders to prevent the spread of the species to other water bodies and to respond to new detections.

DFO is working closely with the Canada Border Services Agency to improve enforcement of the Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations at international borders, with a focus on preventing prohibited species from entering Canada, including invasive mussels.

Invasive Smallmouth Bass in the Miramichi System
DFO recognizes the seriousness of the threat that the Smallmouth Bass represents since it is considered an invasive species in the Miramichi River watershed.

In September 2021, DFO issued a new authorization under the Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations, authorizing the North Shore Micmac District Council, an Indigenous organization, to use a pesticide to eradicate Smallmouth Bass in the Miramichi River Watershed in the Summer 2022.

During its review of the project proposal, DFO consulted extensively with stakeholders, including First Nations groups, through virtual or physical community consultation sessions, and the Department will continue to collaborate with all partners involved on this project.

European Green Crab
DFO is concerned by the significant impacts that European Green Crab, found on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Canada, can have on estuarine and marine ecosystems, and fisheries and aquaculture industries, by consuming shellfish or competing with indigenous species such as clams, snails, crabs and lobsters.

DFO is collaborating with partners including First Nations, Indigenous governments and communities, provincial governments, environmental non-governmental organizations, fisheries unions, stakeholders and U.S. state and federal governments to address the threats that this species poses to Canadian ecosystems and fisheries.

DFO continues to generate scientific research or advice, and leads or supports prevention, early detection and control activities on both Atlantic and Pacific coasts, to manage the spread and the impacts of this invasive species in Canada.

Asian Carps
In 2017, our government invested $16 million over five years and $4 million ongoing in the Asian Carp Program to ensure Canada’s Great Lakes are protected from the harmful impacts of Asian carps.

Our government takes a comprehensive preventative approach to addressing the threat of these species, especially Grass Carp, and works collaboratively with American, Ontario and Quebec partners. DFO is available to assist in lab analysis should a fish be caught there.

To date, Asian carps have not established in the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes thanks to structured, organized response efforts.

Goldfish
Goldfish, a non-indigenous species, have been released into Canadian waters where they have been reported to reproduce and could therefore impact ecosystems and native fish species.

Introducing fish in areas where they are not native is not only harmful to ecosystems, but also illegal under the Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations, and DFO continues to promote education and outreach materials with the public to prevent introductions of aquatic invasive species.

The presence of Goldfish in freshwater systems in Canada is an issue that the Department is continuing to monitor. A study in Hamilton harbour is tracking how goldfish move and feed and whether their presence is affecting other fish species.

Aquatic Invasive Species
• Aquatic invasive species (AIS) pose a serious threat to fish, fish habitat, use of aquatic resources (e.g., fisheries, aquaculture, and recreational industries), and species at risk across Canada.
• AIS of public concern across Canada include:
o Zebra and quagga mussels
o Asian carps (four species)
o Sea Lamprey (Great Lakes only)
o European Green Crab
o Invasive tunicates (e.g., Vase, Clubbed, and Violet)
o Invasive aquatic plants (e.g., Eurasian water milfoil)
• The Sea Lamprey Control Program (SLCP) was established in Canada through the Department in 1954, following ratification of the Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries, as part of a binational commitment to control Sea Lamprey for the protection of Great Lakes fish and fisheries.
• Budget 2017/18 increased Canada’s commitment to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the coordinating body for the SLCP, from $8.1 million to $10.6 million ongoing.
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is aware of the shortfall between the funding formula established by the Convention and contribution amounts. A number of sporting and outdoors groups, and several MPs, have raised the issue with the Minister via a letter-writing campaign.
• The AIS Regulations came into force in 2015 under the Fisheries Act to provide tools for federal action and partnerships with provincial and territorial governments, setting significant expectations regarding Canada’s collective ability to manage AIS. The AIS Regulations list over 164 aquatic species as invasive, subject to prohibitions and/or controls.
• Budget 2017/18 provided $43.8 million in funding over five years and $10.6 million ongoing for national AIS management.
• DFO’s AIS National Core Program was established to implement the AIS Regulations in Canadian waters, to act on sound scientific and other advice, and to report nationally on AIS activities.
• Implementation of the AIS Regulations is a shared priority and responsibility across jurisdictions and levels of government. Some provinces and territories take the lead for freshwater AIS, while DFO leads for marine AIS.
• Provinces also dedicate significant amounts of resources to prevent and manage AIS. For example, Quebec invests $8 million a year and is investing an additional $8 million over five years announced in 2018 to combat aquatic invasive plants. The Invasive Mussel Defense Program in British Columbia has an annual budget of nearly $4 million. Alberta also has a significant budget targeted at invasive mussels.
• The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development conducted an audit of DFO’s AIS efforts to date and released its findings on April 2, 2019. DFO accepted the recommendations of the Auditor and is implementing a management action plan to address them.
• The Auditor recommended that DFO work with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to address risks associated with watercraft and prohibited imports. The Auditor also recommended that DFO and the CBSA develop and implement the procedures, tools, and training that border services officers and fishery officers need to assist in enforcing the AIS Regulations. In response, DFO, CBSA, and other partners have developed new protocols, tools, and procedures to improve enforcement of the AIS Regulations at international borders. It is planned to test these tools in Fall 2020, or as soon as practicable pending Covid-19 travel restrictions, with a pilot project at Emmerson MB focused on preventing invasive mussels from entering Canada. A substantive pilot project is planned for Spring/Summer 2022.

Zebra and Quagga Mussels
• Zebra and Quagga mussels can have significant economic impacts on recreational boaters, municipal and industrial water supplies, and power generation infrastructure.
• Zebra Mussels are native to the Black and Caspian seas region in southeastern Europe.
• Zebra Mussels entered the Great Lakes in the late 1980s through ballast water discharged from ships. Since then, they have spread through parts of eastern Canada and the United States.
• Zebra mussels were newly detected in Lake Massawippi in the Estrie in the Province of Quebec in 2021.
• Zebra mussels have been detected in Lake Memphremagog, and also in the Estrie, in Quebec. While zebra mussels are established in the St-Lawrence River, the species is not present in St-Lawrence tributaries and adjacent lakes.
• DFO has partnered with the Government of Quebec and local stakeholders to prevent the spread of this species to other bodies of water nearby.
• Quagga Mussels are found to be limited to the southern Great Lakes: Lake Ontario, Michigan, Huron and Erie. They have also been found in the St. Lawrence River and north of Quebec City.
Miramichi Lake and River
• Smallmouth Bass was discovered in Miramichi Lake in 2008, a headwater lake in the southwest Miramichi River watershed. This watershed, along with other river systems in New Brunswick, is recognized as some of the most productive Atlantic Salmon rivers in the world. Smallmouth Bass is a predator and competitor of other fish, including Atlantic Salmon.
• In August 2019, Smallmouth Bass was reported in the southwest Miramichi River, downstream from Miramichi Lake.
• Due to the spread of Smallmouth Bass into the river, a project to eradicate it by the application of Rotenone in the Miramichi Lake was proposed to include part of the river.
• DFO, as the regulator, worked with the Province of New Brunswick to review an application submitted by the North Shore Micmac District Council for an authorization pursuant to subsection 19(3) of the AIS Regulations under the Fisheries Act to use Rotenone to eradicate Smallmouth Bass from Miramichi Lake.
• In May 2021, the Province completed its Environmental Impact Assessment and determined that the undertaking may proceed.
• DFO authorized the project on June 7, 2021, subject to the Emergency Use Registration process being completed by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency.
• The week of the project’s implementation in August 2021, members of the Wolastoquey nation, citing concerns with a lack of consultations, occupied the lake by kayaks and canoes in protest of the project, forcing the proponent to halt the deposit of deleterious substances and to pause the project as a whole.
• A new authorization was issued on September 18, 2021, and the project was deferred to the summer 2022.
• The project will be monitored by the proponent and by federal and provincial authorities.
• In evaluating the use of deleterious substances, the Department has to consider implications not only for native Atlantic Salmon, but also impacts on species at risk, other fish species, wildlife, and public safety.
• The Atlantic Salmon Federation advocates for chemical eradication; however, according to a 2018 DFO technical report, the control and monitoring activities for Smallmouth Bass in Miramichi Lake have successfully kept the population of this invasive fish at levels close to depletion.
• In addition to the application for chemical control, the Department is collaborating with the provincial government, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, the Miramichi Salmon Association, and First Nations to capture and remove Smallmouth Bass from the river.
• Response activities that have taken place in the Miramichi River and certain tributaries in the summer-fall 2019 and 2020 include line fishing (angling), electrofishing (using backpacks or boats equipped with an electrofishing device), netting, collection of environmental DNA samples to determine the spread of the invasion, and collaborating with the University of New Brunswick to use radio-isotopes to determine the source of the Smallmouth Bass captured in the river.
• DFO continues to maintain barriers to prevent Smallmouth Bass from escaping Miramichi Lake and annually invests approximately $50 thousand on different physical methods for capturing individuals of all ages and sizes in Miramichi Lake (e.g., electrofishing, trapping, netting, and seining).
• The Department is also developing a long-term plan for the management of this AIS in the Miramichi River watershed using an integrated management approach based on prevention, detection, response, and control, as well as sustained collaboration with partners.
European Green Crab
• European Green Crab (EGC) are a known invasive species on both coasts of Canada, with the potential to result in significant impacts to important habitat, such as eelgrass, and fisheries.
• In the Newfoundland (NL) Region, the spread of EGC has been confirmed in St Marys Bay, with established populations of large adult crab confirmed in October 2020. The Fish, Food and Allied Workers' Union partnership continued in the summer of 2021 to trap EGC in Fortune Bay. In 2020, licenced trappers from this project removed over 335,000 EGC from Fortune Bay. Marine Institute’s work in Placentia Bay to restore eelgrass and remove EGC in the area continued with funding from the Coastal Restoration Fund in 2021. Three Rivers Mi‘kmaq Band were contracted to evaluate EGC population on the South West coast of insular NL through destructive sampling in October 2020.
• From May 2020 to September 2021, 54 AIS Control Licences for EGC were issued in the NL region.
• In September 2021, the Mi’kmaq Alsumk Mowimsikik Koqoey Association received Nature Legacy Funding to trap and mitigate the EGC population in western Fortune Bay.
• External requests to provide guidance as to a national decision on the permissible use of AIS are increasing. This has occurred in many regions, but NL region is being contacted by media and interested parties requesting decisions and guidance for the use of EGC for commercial purposes.
• In British Columbia, populations of EGC are established on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. They were first discovered in the Salish Sea in 2012 in Sooke Basin, with further discoveries in other locations of the Salish Sea in U.S. and Canadian waters in 2017. Other incursions have been documented along the Central Coast of the mainland, as well as limited number of individuals in Haida Gwaii in 2020.
• Since discovery of EGC in the Salish Sea and Haida Gwaii, DFO has partnered with Indigenous and stewardship groups and others to determine the extent of the invasion, seek evidence of establishment, and develop and implement management and response plans. In 2021 DFO also partnered with Coastal Restoration Society and Council of the Haida Nation with funding from the BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund for EGC management projects on Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii, respectively.
• In 2021 DFO continued early monitoring and detection activities in the Salish Sea once COVID-related travel restrictions were lifted, providing training and conducting sampling with partners (i.e., stewardship and Indigenous groups). In addition, DFO’s response to a public report of EGC resulted in the capture of 19 individuals within Ladysmith Harbour, the most significant incursion documented within the Salish Sea – monitoring and response activities are ongoing.
Goldfish
• DFO and the National Aquatic Invasive Species Committee under the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers have developed a nationally consistent education and outreach campaign named “Don’t Let It Loose” to manage the risk of introduction posed by several pathways including “pets and plants from aquariums, ponds, or water gardens”, “live food and live baits”, and “sport fish and recreational fishing”.

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