Force cleaning of boats, says aquaculture group

The P.E.I. Aquaculture Alliance wants a law to stop recreational and commercial boats from moving from one bay to another without being cleaned, to help stop the spread of invasive species.

'There are some who are of that mind that don't care.' — Calvin Jollimore

For mussel growers on P.E.I. the worst of these species is the tunicate, which attaches itself to mussel socks, robbing the shellfish of nutrients, slowing their growth and making them very difficult to harvest.

Tunicate are becoming pervasive in eastern P.E.I., and mussel growers in other parts of the province want to do everything possible to keep them from spreading. That includes legislation to force recreational and commercial boat owners to clean the hulls of their boats before they travel from one harbour to another, so tunicate can't hitch a ride and spread.

Calvin Jollimore of the Aquaculture Alliance told CBC News on Monday that most people are spending the money for the cleaning, but not all.

"There are some who are of that mind that don't care, and that's why we need legislation and enforcement," said Jollimore.

"When you find those who don't care, that there's something there can be done."

Darren Martel was having his boat cleaned at Georgetown on Monday. He had been fishing in the area, and was moving his boat to the North Shore to chase mackerel. He said he fully understood why fishermen in other parts of the province want legislation.

"Different ports along the North Shore, they don't really want the tunicate we have here in the water.… I really don't blame them. I'm with them 100 per cent," said Martel.

"If the shoe were on the other foot, I'd feel the exact same way."

Rather than sailing from Georgetown to the North Shore, Martel has hired a boat hauler and someone to power spray the hull. The boat hauling will cost about $200, the spraying another $60.

Mussel plant pays for cleaning

Not all fishermen leaving Georgetown for other ports are so easy to convince. Thomas Blackett was in Georgetown dragging for clams, but his home port is New London Bay. Last week mussel growers there pleaded with him to clean his boat, even offering to pay.

Blackett at first said it wasn't his problem. He told CBC News he did clean his boat early Monday morning and hauled it home by truck. On Monday afternoon, he presented a bill to the manager of a New London Bay mussel plant.

Should P.E.I. opt for legislation to help prevent the spread of invasive species, it wouldn't be the first jurisdiction. New Zealand has legislation and an agency, Biosecurity New Zealand, to enforce the rules.

Sonya Bissmire of Biosecurity New Zealand is on P.E.I. this week attending an international conference on aquatic invasive species. She said having legislation doesn't necessarily mean you are always having to come down hard on people.

"The awareness approach is definitely the one that we're taking the most, but I do think it's been really valuable to us to have that stick behind us if we need it," said Bissmire.

"It just makes it so much more important in people's eyes if you do have a piece of legislation. It's not like you're just sort of pleading with people to do the right thing."

Jollimore said P.E.I.'s aquaculture industry has gone to both the provincial and federal governments with a plea for legislation, but so far no one has acted on it.