Parks Canada Mandates AIS Permits and Stickers for All Watercraft at Prince Albert National Park

Parks Canada now requires an aquatic invasive species certification permit and compliance sticker for every watercraft entering Prince Albert National Park waters. Cbc reported that the rule covers canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, wind surfboards, inflatable boats and rafts.

If a vessel has been outside Saskatchewan in the past 45 days, owners must have it inspected and decontaminated at a Parks Canada station before launch.

Staff search for mud, sand and plants, then apply a pressure washer using water heated to 50–60 °C. The mandatory inspections began in 2025. On July 3, Saskatchewan's Ministry of Environment announced that invasive mussel veligers had been found in Lake of the Prairies, about 67 kilometres east of Yorkton.

Cbc reported that a single female zebra mussel can produce roughly one million eggs per year, and non-compliance can bring fines up to $25,000 under federal regulations. Visitor Colin Trudel, speaking at the Waskesiu Marina boat launch, said the measures matter. "I think it's very important for us to protect our lakes.

It would be horrible for us to lose something like this," he told Cbc. Boater Pernell Kirby said he cleans his vessel thoroughly to avoid moving species between provinces. In 2025 the park issued permits to between 7,000 and 9,000 watercraft and performed 160 decontaminations of high-risk vessels.

Parks Canada has added roving inspections and extra staff at boat launches. The agency is also developing a long-term plan with Indigenous nations, community partners and regional stakeholders. Zebra mussels were detected in Clear Lake inside Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba in 2023.