The Coalition of Haliburton Property Owners Associations (CHA) is celebrating its one millionth invasive trapdoor snail removed from lakes and rivers in the Haliburton Highlands. The CHA achieved this milestone in mid-June thanks to the efforts of nearly 400 local volunteers, says Paul MacInnes, chair of the CHA.
Trapdoor snails, also known as mystery snails, have been an invasive species in Canada since the 1930s. They look like ordinary snails but have darker shells, can grow up to seven centimetres, and live in freshwater. The snails feed on nutrients that are essential for native species, can spread diseases to other aquatic wildlife, and reproduce rapidly. One snail can give birth to over 100 baby snails each year.
These snails appeared in Haliburton as recently as 2013. In 2020, the South Lake Association of Cottagers and Residents approached the CHA with a plea to help contain an explosion in their population. Snails were covering the lake bed in South Lake, attaching themselves to docks and boats, and impeding the enjoyment of cottagers and residents.
The associations agreed the best solution was to remove the mystery snails. “Since the snails are considered fish under the Fisheries Act,” explains Paul, “a licence is required to remove and humanely euthanize them.” The challenge was that licences administered by the Ministry of Natural Resources can take up to two years to obtain and would only apply to one person per lake.
“In the meantime, we were hearing reports about mystery snails from other lake associations,” says Paul. “The ministry suggested that licensing was necessary, but the current licensing program wasn’t going to work.”
Working with the ministry and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH), the CHA was able to fast-track the licensing process for multiple volunteers on the same lake to less than six months. The CHA also had to create a training program to educate its volunteers on how to properly remove the snails from 44 waterways across Haliburton County.
“We train our volunteers in how to properly identify the snails against native snail species, how to collect them, how to euthanize them, and how to report our collections,” says Paul. “We also educate our volunteers on health and safety, as the snails carry parasites and can spread swimmer’s itch.”
Samples of the mystery snails are collected in clear plastic bags that are double-wrapped. It’s essential to double-bag the snails due to the risk of seagulls and other predators puncturing the bags and transporting the snails to other waterways. The CHA has also obtained agreements from the municipalities in Haliburton County to dispose of the snails at local landfills.
Paul says the program has been a huge success.
“One million snails is quite the feat,” says Paul. “We’ll never be able to remove all of them. Our goal is to keep them under control in hopes that they do as little damage as possible to our lakes, and that people continue to enjoy their lakefront properties.”
More work needs to be done to stop the spread of invasive species in Ontario, Paul says. “It’s crucial to always clean, drain, and dry your boat. The proper process is to clean your boat thoroughly, drain your ballasts away from the lake, and dry before transporting to another lake,” Paul advises.
Learn more about how to avoid spreading invasive species, deal with common invasive pests, and surprising ways you might be contributing to the spread. If you believe your lake has been affected by invasive mystery snails, you can reach out to the OFAH to seek guidelines on licensing.
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