Tuesday, April 28, 2026
The Alberta government will undertake mandatory boating inspections throughout the summer season to ensure invasive species do not enter lakes, rivers, and critical water infrastructure.
From May 1 until Sept. 30 mandatory inspections will again be in effect for anyone entering Alberta with watercraft through the eastern and southern provincial borders, an Alberta government release said.
“Alberta is leading the way on aquatic invasive species prevention in Canada. With boating season now underway, it is time to act. Protecting Alberta’s waters is critical to our environment, our economy and our way of life. We are taking strong, proactive steps to stop invasive species before they enter the province and cause irreversible damage,” provincial minister of environment and protected areas Grant Hunter said.
“Alberta’s 11 irrigation districts recognize the serious economic and ecological threats aquatic invasive species pose to Alberta and are especially concerned about the potential for invasive mussels to spread to our province. We applaud the provincial government’s increasing efforts to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species,” Alberta Irrigation Districts Association chair Richard Phillips said.
12 inspection stations will be open this year, the release said, with investments in hot wash technology or aquatic invasive species prevention to assist roadside inspection at stations and if needed for emergency response at shorelines.
An investment of $5 million over two years through the 2026 budget will go to a permanent watercraft inspection station near Cold Lake, Alta and K-9 inspection teams will expand from one to three units to support detection of invasive mussels in about half the time it takes human inspectors.
New environmental DNA (eDNA) testing for early detection of invasive mussels and other species is being conducted on Alberta waterbodies to expand monitoring and early detection capabilities, the release said.
