Invasive fish species

As of July 2015, there are 25 prohibited fish species under the Fisheries (Alberta) Act. It is mandatory to report any of the 52 prohibited species listed in the Fisheries(Alberta) Act within 14 days of finding them to provide the best chance of response success. There are 3 ways to report invasive species:

• Phone the Aquatic invasive species (AIS) Hotline at 1-855-336-BOAT (2628).
• Use EDDMapS Alberta Smartphone Application or online.
• Email aep.ais@gov.ab.ca.

Regardless of an unintentional or intentional release, if there is evidence that invasive fish have established, response needs to be considered.

Response for fish included on the list of 52 prohibited species under the Fisheries(Alberta) Act will be priority for Alberta Environment and Protected Areas.

For fish species (such as goldfish, koi or Prussian carp) that are not listed in provincial regulations, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas can help support response treatments by guiding the approval process and support the development of response plans in conjunction with the organization or municipality. Legislation supporting treatments for species that are not included in the provincial prohibited species list falls under the federal AIS Regulations, Section 10, which states that any organism that is not indigenous is prohibited to enter water of any kind, unless authorized by provincial or federal law.

Control of invasive fish is most feasible in isolated ponds. However, once released into flowing connected bodies of water, control efforts are exponentially more complex. Rotenone has been effective in the removal of invasive fish when used on its own, or in conjunction with other methods as compared to only using non-chemical methods (netting, water table fluctuations, electrofishing, etc.).

To learn more about rotenone, see the Rotenone: Invasive fish control in Alberta storm water management ponds fact sheet.

Requirements for fish removal using rotenone requires 4 main steps prior to treatment. The following are outlined below:

1. Special Use Approval (Pesticide (Ministerial) Regulation, Section 9), is required if using/applying/storing a pesticide in or within 30 m of an “open body of water” (refer to definition below) unless following the Environmental Code of Practice for Pesticides.
   • Open Body of Water: as defined under the Pesticide Sales, Handling, Use and Application Regulation, “open body of water” means the bed and shore of an irrigation canal, drainage canal, reservoir, river, stream, creek, lake, marsh or other body of water, but does not include the following:
     • waterworks systems
     • reservoirs, lakes, marshes or other bodies of water that are completely surrounded by private land, that have an area of less than 4 hectares and have no outflow of water beyond the private land
     • reservoirs, lakes, marshes or other bodies of water that are located on public land, that have an area of less than 0.4 hectares, and have no outflow of water
     • irrigation and drainage canals that are completely surrounded by private land and have no outflow beyond the private land
     • roadside ditches
     • wastewater systems
     • storm drainage systems
     • dry streams having a bed and shore averaging 0.5 meters or less in width within the boundaries of the treatment area
     • a constructed water hazard that is located on a golf course and has no outflow of water beyond the golf course boundary
   • The application can be found at Pesticides – Application forms.
2. A Fish Research Licence (Fisheries (Alberta) Act, Section 12) [ii] is required for anyone (person, agency or institution) whose work involves collecting, holding or sampling fish for inventory, research, educational or promotional purposes in Alberta.
   • More information can be found at: Fish research licence
3. A Deposit of Deleterious Substances Application is required for any work in water that demands a substance to be added to the water that has the potential to degrade or alter the water quality affecting fish or fish habitat, including fish toxicants and pesticides.
   • Deleterious Substance: as defined under the Fisheries (Alberta) Act (Section 34), “deleterious substance” means:
     1. any substance that, if added to any water, would degrade or alter or form part of a process of degradation or alteration of the quality of that water so that it is rendered or is likely to be rendered deleterious to fish or fish habitat or to the use by man of fish that frequent that water, or
     2. any water that contains a substance in such quantity or concentration, or that has been so treated, processed or changed, by heat or other means, from a natural state that it would, if added to any other water, degrade or alter or form part of a process of degradation or alteration of the quality of that water so that it is rendered or is likely to be rendered deleterious to fish or fish habitat or to the use by man of fish that frequent that water.
4. Acquire certifications or hire a contractor with:
   • appropriate Pesticide Service Registration (under the Pesticide (Ministerial) Regulation, Section 7)
     • Requires a Fish And Aquatic Invertebrates Service Registration.
     • More information can be found at Pesticide service registrations.
   • appropriate Pesticide Applicator Certification (under the Pesticide (Ministerial) Regulation, Section 3)
     • Requires a Fish And Aquatic Invertebrates Applicator Certification.
     • More information can be found at Using pesticides – Applicator Certification Program.