These species have a negative impact on the region and usually live in or around the water and once introduced to an area are impossible to eradicate.  

Candace Parks is an Aquatic Invasive Species specialist with Agriculture and Resource Development for the Province of Manitoba explains how far zebra mussels have spread over the years in Manitoba waterways.  She says zebra mussels are now found in Manitoba in the Red River, in Lake Winnipeg, in Cedar Lake just west of Grand Rapids and then in the end of September or October last year they announced that the mussels are now in the Nelson River up to the Limestone Generating Station.

Besides their negative impact on the ecosystem, aquatic invasive species have an economic impact as well.  For example, there is a cost to communities to remove zebra mussels from infrastructure such as drinking water intake systems and to clean up shorelines.