Clean, Drain and Dry program to inform boaters of invasive species.
The New Brunswick Invasive Species Council hopes its Clean, Drain and Dry information program can better educate boaters about the spread of invasive species in provincial waterways.
Project Coordinator Kristin Eltin says one such invader, the Eurasian Water Milfoil, could be a big problem in the Saint John River system.
“It has the ability to kind of choke out all of the native species creating this big mat that will clog out boat launches, that type of thing. It hasn’t gotten into any of the lakes that we are aware of yet so we are really focusing on preventing its spread into the lakes,” stated Eltin.
Eltin says the council is also asking people to inspect and clean their boats and trailers and any other water recreational vehicle of any plants or animals hanging on. That includes draining and drying watercraft and vehicles before entering any new waterway.
According to Eltin, the Chinese Mystery Snail is also in the province and poses a concern with the council as well.
“They are a very, very large snail about two inches that are likely a released aquarium species someone didn’t want as their pet anymore and dumped it in the river,” said Eltin.
You can find more information on the council’s Clean, Drain and Dry program here.
