The provincial government is exploring the possibility of introducing an annual watercraft pass to generate revenue that would help fund mitigation strategies against aquatic invasive species, and Alberta boaters are invited to participate in the process.
A press release issued by the provincial government stated the intent would be to support prevention efforts against aquatic species such as mussels from entering Alberta’s waterbodies, ecosystems and infrastructure.
“Invasive mussels destroy ecosystems, threaten shorelines and can cause hundreds of millions in damaged infrastructure,” reads part of the statement.
Revenues generated by an annual watercraft pass could potentially further help fund not only prevention efforts but also monitoring and raising awareness about aquatic invasive species as well as policy and legislation, inspection stations, decontamination and the K9 response program.
Although a request for an interview with an expert was submitted along with questions such as how concerned the provincial government is about the risk, the Albertan was instead provided a written statement attributable to the press secretary of Rebecca Schulz, the minister of Environment and Protected Areas.
“Reports are rising across North America, which is why we have taken more action than any government in recent history to keep invasive mussels out of Alberta,” reads part of an email sent by Ryan Fournier on July 30.
“Last year, we set the highest fines in North America, launched the Provincial Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force and inspected a record number of boats and other watercraft.”
In 2025, the provincial government announced new funding to the tune of $18 million over five years for more inspectors, inspection stations, equipment and K-9 units, he said.
“We also became the first province in Canada to require mandatory inspections for all incoming watercraft along our southern and eastern borders.”
According to the press release, the task force was established to provide recommendations to address the threat of aquatic invasive species by bolstering Alberta’s prevention and early detection efforts. Among those recommendations is the proposed annual watercraft pass.
Alberta is reportedly currently free of zebra, quagga, and golden mussels, but reports are increasing across the rest of the country and in the U.S. Watercrafts are the main mode of overland transportation that can result in introducing invasive mussels, among other invasive species, in areas where they weren’t previously present.
The provincial government says feedback from boaters will help determine whether an annual watercraft pass will be implemented; and if so, how the program could be structured.
Indigenous peoples carrying out Section 35 rights would be exempt from purchasing an annual watercraft pass should one ultimately be introduced.
The survey includes questions such as how many motorized or non-motorized watercraft the respondent owns, when as well as where they are typically used, as well as gauging overall support for the implementation of a pass, whether there should be a fee and how much one would be willing to pay, and if the charge should vary depending on commercial and recreational use as well as motorized or non-motorized vessels.
Anyone interested in responding to the survey, which can be found online at https://your.alberta.ca/annual-watercraft-pass and should take five to 10 minutes and, has until Aug. 25.
