The province has implemented a new rule for boaters to prevent the spread of invasive mussels.

It’s now unlawful to transport any watercraft in Saskatchewan with the drain plug in place.

“That’ll hold water in, and we could have potentially the mussels in the water, or it can have the eggs. And if they take it to another lake, and they transfer it to another lake with that boat, that lake could be contaminated as well,” Prince Albert conservation officer Kevin Harrison said.

The province also encourages boaters travelling out of province to clean, drain and dry their boat between every lake they visit.

Those efforts will help prevent invasive quagga and zebra mussels from gaining a foothold in the province, Harrison said.

“They get in and they pretty much take over the whole water body themselves. They’ll eat anything, they filter out all the nutrients out of the water and leave nothing left for invertebrates, the fish, the plant life to live in.

“They’ll clog intakes, they’ll clog boat motors, they'll clog pretty much anything they can get into.”

He also stresses that people shouldn’t consume alcohol while boating.

People have the misconception drinking is allowed on pontoon boats, when in fact it’s not, he said.

“We see lots of boating accidents throughout the summer and that’s just caused by people with overconsumption of alcohol.”