Assiniboine West Watershed District

Aquatic Invasive Species Information

The open-water season is approaching fast – even though the weather recently doesn’t seem like it. With the rising temperature, more people will want to be outside to start boating and fishing while considering the fundamentals of physical distancing. Thus, we thought it was time to touch base about aquatic invasive species (AIS).

With COVID-19 challenges in mind, we would like to provide a few online AIS resources that may be helpful to remind surface water-users of the AIS requirements. Here is a summary with online links to some helpful AIS resources from the Manitoba government: 

Open-Water Checklist: This document is likely the most helpful information the Provincial AIS Unit has. It summarizes the AIS requirements for surface water-users depending on the situation – that is entering, or leaving a water body or an AIS Control Zone in the open water season. The document takes the guess work out of Clean, Drain, Dry, and if necessary Dispose and Decontaminate means to be compliant with the law. There is a similar document for the winter (ice-covered season) as the AIS requirements are in effect year-round.

The Open-Water Checklist document can be found online here.

The Winter (Ice-Covered Season) Checklist can be found here.

Float Plane Checklist: this brand new one page, two-sided document is part of the AIS checklist series. It summarizes the AIS requirements for float plane operators to be compliant with the law.

The Float Plane Checklist can be found online here.

Aquatic Invasive Species Control Zone Maps and Summary: A control zone is a watershed area where aquatic invasive species (AIS) already occurs or where it is expected to spread to in the future. Regulations require disposal of bait and decontamination, in addition to general cleaning provisions (Clean, Drain, Dry), to ensure AIS are killed and removed before watercraft and water-related equipment are placed into a different water body.

Please note, all control zones include the listed water bodies plus a portion of each tributary that flows into/out of a control zone water body from the mouth of the tributary up to the first impassible barrier.

There are six control zones in Manitoba: Central, Nelson River, Whiteshell, Buffalo Bay, Winnipeg River and Saskatchewan River/Cedar Lake.

The AIS Control Zone map can be found online here.

An explanation of each AIS Control Zones can be found online here.

For information on aquatic invasive species (AIS) visit: Manitoba.ca/StopAIS

All Water Users – Stop the Spread of Zebra Mussels

CLEAN + DRAIN + DRY your watercraft, trailer and all water-related equipment and
DISPOSE of any unwanted bait in the trash.