A boat cleaning service in Nova Scotia is attracting a lot of attention — not just for offering a free service, but also for its efforts to combat invasive species.
Volunteers are traveling to popular boating locations across Nova Scotia to wash away any hitchhiking invasive species, CBC reported.
"Many boaters don't even realize the risk they're carrying with them from one lake to another. This is our way of getting ahead of the problem," Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council Supervisor Ken Donnelly explained.
Teams use a pressure washer and a boiler that heats the water to a lethal level for the invasive species stuck to the boat.
Invasive species pose a danger to ecosystems because they did not evolve alongside the surrounding wildlife and often lack natural predators. Without this balance in the food chain, they can outcompete local organisms for food and resources, threatening their survival.
One of the team's biggest targets is the zebra mussel. Originally from the Black and Caspian Seas in Europe, it entered the United States and Canada in the 1980s.
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These mussels tend to starve native mussels out by depleting their food supply. They also consume beneficial plankton while allowing toxic cyanobacteria to flourish unchecked, which can lead to the proliferation of toxic algal blooms.
"They can just be attached to your canoe," Brittni Scott, a resource management officer with Parks Canada, told CBC. "They can tag in and you just might not even notice it."
While many consider only wildlife to be invasive species, plants can be, too. Establishing plants native to the region is an excellent way to foster a thriving local ecosystem.
Beyond environmental damage, the zebra mussels targeted by the Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council can also be harmful to people. Zebra mussels can damage vessels to which they attach, and their sharp edges can injure boaters who attempt to remove them.
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Boaters in Canada and the U.S. should remain on alert for zebra mussels that may attach to boats. Boat owners can help slow the spread of invasive species by keeping their decks clear of plants and animal stowaways before leaving a location.
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