Zebra Mussel eradication trial to be tested this summer

Zebra mussels are a non-native invasive species and it's an offence to allow them to spread in the wild. They can cause damage to boats, infrastructure and our native wildlife, so South West Water and Cornwall Council have teamed up with experts to try methods of eradicating them from the Bude Canal.

A low impact method using barley straw to slightly tweak the acidity of the canal has been established through lab studies using sample water from the canal led by Prof. David Aldridge at Cambridge University. In preparation for a longer trial, an initial test will be in-situ later this July, consisting of two large sacks of sacks of barley straw anchored within the activity zone, opposite the launch area by the Tourist Information Centre. The sacks will be weighted down and marked with a coloured buoy, posing no risk to navigation or wildlife.

We kindly ask that the trail is not interfered with and anyone using the canal should simply navigate past the marker buoys without touching them.