Wasaga Beach Fish & Game Club

Stop the Invasion!

Ontario's waters are threatened by exotic species that can be spread unknowingly by anglers and boaters.

Harmful Exotic Species

Ontario's fish and the waters that support them are threatened by several exotic species that can be spread unknowingly by anglers and boaters. Some harmful exotic species that have been discovered in Ontario waters and ways of preventing their spread are described below. Whenever you move your boat from one waterbody to another, exotic species may tag along for the ride. There are some important things you can do to prevent the transport of harmful exotic species from one lake or river to another:

Inspect your boat, motor, trailer, and boating equipment (anchor, centreboards, rollers, axles) and remove any zebra mussels and other animals and plants that are visible before leaving any waterbody;
Drain water from the motor, livewell, bilge and transom wells while on land before leaving the waterbody
Wash/dry your boat, tackle, downriggers, trailer, and other boating equipment to kill harmful species that were not visible at the boat launch. Some aquatic nuisance species can survive more than 2 weeks out of water so it is important to:
Rinse your boat and equipment that normally gets wet with hot tap water (greater than 40 ºC)
Spray your boat and trailer with high pressure water (250 psi)
Dry your boat and equipment for at least 5 days before transporting to another water body.
Empty your bait bucket on land before leaving any waterbody.
Never release live bait into a waterbody, or release aquatic animals from one waterbody into another
Learn how to identify zebra mussels and other exotic species.

If you suspect a new infestation report it to the Ministry of Natural Resources or the Invading Species Hotline (1-800-563-7711) - this hotline is a partnership between the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters.

Zebra Mussels

Zebra mussels are freshwater mollusks that often attach in large numbers to hard objects in the water. They are normally brown in color, with yellow or white stripes, and are very small - about the size of a fingernail. In the Great Lakes, zebra mussel colonies have clogged municipal and industrial water intake lines, covered boat hulls, fouled beaches, killed native clams, and disrupted the lake ecosystems.

Zebra mussels have spread rapidly in Ontario. Since their initial discovery in 1988 in Lake St. Clair, they have spread throughout the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River system, and into some inland lakes. Zebra mussels have invaded the Trent-Severn and Rideau systems, and have been found in some Muskoka Lakes. They probably entered these inland systems through recreational boating traffic. Zebra mussels are invisible to the naked eye in their early life stage (called a veliger), when they can be transferred unknowingly in live wells, bilge water and baitfish buckets. In their adult stage they can attach to boat hulls.

**Help slow the spread of zebra mussels by thoroughly cleaning your boat and angling gear before moving between bodies of water.

Ruffe

The Ruffe is a small European relative of the walleye and yellow perch. It was introduced into the Duluth-Superior Harbour of Lake Superior from the ballast water of ocean-going ships in the early 1980s. Within a few years it became the most abundant fish in the harbour. Ruffe are established in the Kaministiquia River in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Ruffe may displace native Ontario fish species through competition for food and habitat. Help slow the spread of Ruffe. Do not collect baitfish from the Great Lakes for use in inland waters. Learn how to identify Ruffe. If you think you have caught one, kill it and contact your local MNR office.

**It is illegal to possess Ruffe except when transporting a dead specimen to a Ministry of Natural Resources office

Round Goby

The round goby is a small, bottom-dwelling fish from Eastern Europe that was introduced to the St. Clair River via ballast water in the late 1980s. It is now found in all of the Great Lakes except Lake Ontario. The round goby is an aggressive fish that can spawn several times per year, grow up to 25 cm (9.8 in.) in length, and compete with native bottom-dwelling fish species. Round gobies are expected to be harmful to Great Lakes and inland fisheries.

Although gobies are not legal baitfish, they look very similar to our native sculpins which can be used as bait.

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