At first glance it looks like Heather Willoughby is digging through a pile of sand on Victoria Beach, but she’s actually pulling apart a mound of zebra mussels.
"Well I'm not enjoying the smell that I'm smelling," said Willoughby.
The Victoria Beach resident said she noticed some on the shore last fall, but as the snow melted this spring, the hills of the invasive species were left behind. She worries they're multiplying at an alarming rate.
"It's rather upsetting because we've never seen this before," said Willoughby.
According to the province, the large piles of zebra mussels littering the beach don't necessarily mean there's been a huge explosion of them.
The province said zebra mussels live under water, and with the shoreline out because of ice they’re not visible. As for the mounds, provincial aquatic invasive species specialist Candace Parks said to blame Mother Nature.
“It's just when we do have a wind or wave event they can be dislodged and put onto the shore or onto the beach and that's what people are now seeing," said Parks.
Zebra mussels have been discovered in Lake Winnipeg, the Red River and Cedar Lake. They can attach themselves to objects and as a result boat motors can be impacted. They can also clog water intake structures and irrigation systems. All of this can have an economic impact on Lake Winnipeg.
The province said it will continue with its annual prevention measures including the watercraft inspection program set to begin next month.
