Kelowna-Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr has announced more funding for the prevention of zebra and quagga mussels.
Over the next four years, 100 grand will be spent to conduct research at Simon Fraser University, assessing the risk of spread of the mussels while predicting the ecological impacts they would have on the Okanagan.
"It is difficult to mitigate it after the fact. It is all prevention. The key here is not to allow these critters into the lake because once they are in there, it’s over. It is just a function of how fast they take over".
Fuhr also announced an addition 400 thousand dollars over three years to invest for education and outreach purposes to complement the current efforts by the Province and other partners within the Okanagan Basin.
"The reason it is so hard to get funding for them federally, there is always problems and limited resources and there are evasive species in other parts of the country that are wreaking havoc. I am trying to get money for something that isn't happening, but that is the whole point, we can't let it happen", Fuhr added.
Zebra and quagga mussels have not yet been recorded in B.C. but the Okanagan is at high risk of invasion due to the proximity of established populations.