With the help of over 250 dedicated volunteers this season, we were able to remove over 240,000 invasive mysterysnails from lakes in Haliburton County! Chinese mysterysnail (Cipangopaludina chinensis) and banded mysterysnail (Viviparus georgianus) are two invasive snails that were introduced to Ontario’s water through intentional and unintentional means and are having a variety of impacts on our environments and our recreational activities. Once again, we want to take this opportunity to thank our amazing volunteers who continue to make this program so successful!

Are you a part of a lake association, cottage association, or even just a group of like-minded individuals on your lake that would like to take part in 2024? Contact us! Email Robert_McGowan@ofah.org or visit our website for more information. 

We here at the Invading Species Awareness Program want to hear from you! Every year, we gather information about how people prevent (or don’t prevent) the spread of invasive species during hobbies like hunting, fishing, boating, gardening, and trail-use/hiking. We also use the information we collect to help direct our communications strategies for the next year regarding where people like to get their invasive species information.  



Take the survey by clicking one of the links below and you will be entered for a chance to win one of two $250 gift cards to Canadian Tire or Cabela’s. Just in time for that early holiday shopping!

English: Survey

French: Survey

The application deadline is November 12th at 11:59 pm, so get those applications in quick! 

Last month, we mentioned how the MNRF was accepting comments surrounding their proposal to regulate ten additional species and four genera under Ontario’s Invasive Species Act, 2015. This month, as a program of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, the ISAP released our comments on the proposal. Key concerns were raised around public education of the ISA and addressing compliance of the ISA at the retail level, particularly around the sale of prohibited species, like marbled crayfish.  

If you are interested in reading the complete statement, you can find it here: www.ofah.org/fishing-hunting/fishing-fisheries/action/ 

Marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis), also known as marmorkrebs, have been discovered for the first time in the wild in North America this year. Thought to have been created during breeding of slough crayfish (Procambarus fallax) for the aquarium trade, marbled crayfish are entirely female and reproduce via cloning. These crayfish have been discovered in ponds in the Burlington area, and partners are continuing to monitor the species with hopes of eradication. Just this week, partners from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Trent University, and the ISAP were out monitoring for the species to ensure it is still contained in its present location as well as to discuss further eradication efforts. Identifiable by the distinct marbled pattern and relatively short claws compared to most native crayfishes, marbled crayfish are usually olive or dark brown in colour but can range from tan to reddish to blue. 

If you think you’ve seen a marbled crayfish, note your location, take a picture, and report it to the Invading Species Hotline at 1-800-563-7711, or email details to isap@ofah.org, or report online at EDDmaps.org.