The province is boosting its efforts to keep Alberta free of zebra mussels, quagga mussels and other aquatic invasive species.

In this year's budget, the Alberta government committed $18.2 million over five years to hire two more mussel-sniffing canine teams, bringing the total to three, expand the number of inspection stations to 11 and improve decontamination stations in Lethbridge and Calgary.

The province says the goal is to prevent the invasive mussels from contaminating rivers and lakes, as well as irrigation and water intake systems.

Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter, who is also the chair of the provincial Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force, says the mussels have wreaked havoc in other provinces, clogging up water infrastructure systems, costing billions to eradicate once they settle in.

"Our best strategy is to try to keep [them] out," said Hunter. "We have done very well with rats, keeping the rats out of Alberta, I think we'd like to see 80 to 100 years of keeping these things out as well."

The mussels can multiply quickly, damage infrastructure and destroy habitats, he adds.

"Just one boat carrying invasive mussels can put an entire aquatic ecosystem at risk and lead, potentially, to millions of dollars in damages to irrigation infrastructure and waterways," said Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz.

The money will also be used to fund a tank decontamination pilot project and 14 mobile decontamination systems to improve rapid response. The focus is on southern Alberta, according to Schulz, because that is where many of the contaminated watercraft have been detected.

Another problem is their small size. Mussels can be as small as a grain of rice. That's why the additional canine teams are needed to help sniff these species out, according to the province.

"When highway signage indicates that an inspection station is open, it is mandatory that everyone transporting watercraft must stop to be checked for invasive mussels by our human or canine inspectors," said Cindy Sawchuk, aquatic invasive species operations canine program lead at Alberta Environment and Parks.

"That means stopping every time, regardless of where you are coming from or going to. It's the law."

Last year, the province established the highest fines in North America for flouting aquatic inspection rules: $4,200 for failing to stop at an open inspection station and $600 for failing to remove a drain plug when transporting a watercraft.

In 2024, about 13 per cent of boats arrived at provincial inspection stations with the drain plug in place during transport, the province says.

It also launched the Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force, expanded inspection stations and inspectors and advocated the federal government for increased action in 2024.

The province says more than 13,000 watercraft were inspected in 2024. Of those, 15 were carrying invasive mussels.