Chinese mystery snails invading Quebec lakes by the thousands

Residents in Rawdon, Que., just north of Montreal, have noticed that there is an increasing number of invasive snails in and around bodies of water in the area.

They're called Chinese mystery snails (Cipangopaludina chinensis) and they reproduce at an alarming rate in freshwater rivers, streams and lakes.

"I can see the snails here because the bottom is sandy," said Rawdon resident Michael McArdle from the shores of the picturesque Brennan Lake. "Each snail apparently can have over 150 live young. We're talking about ready to go. A little baby in the water."

McArdle and Karina Rosenberg are allowed to pick up the snails because they have a permit.

"Basically sifting through the muck at the bottom to collect them, and you don't get a medal for this kind of work, that's for sure," said Rosenberg.

The duo says the snails are causing an imbalance in the ecosystem, and residents have to be careful not to step on them.

"Turtles, which we've always had, are now incredibly abundant because I've seen them. They eat the snails," said McArdle. "Raccoons and otters also like to eat them, and in the springtime, we literally have to shovel the empty shells of our beach because they come and eat them."

The municipality is well aware of the problem, and has mandated a local organization to help clean up the snails.

"We're going to be living with those snails," said Rawdon Mayor Raymond Rougeau. "It's almost impossible to eradicate them, but the thing is, we can control the population."

The snails, however, are not just in one lake. Quebec says they're present in several regions across the province.

Rougeau says the Chinese mystery snail is living in several lakes within his community.

"Right across from the lake on the other side, you see, there's a beach there. I heard they picked up over 2,000 snails in a couple of days," said Rougeau.

Tina Schmeller has a cottage along the water and says 2024 has been particularly bad.

"You can't walk a few feet without seeing them," she said. "The shells are quite thick. They could cut you for sure."

It seems no matter how many get picked up, they just seem to come right back.

"You can't go in the water anywhere here without picking up hundreds of them," said Rosenberg. "This is what an invasive species does. It displaces the native ones. It disturbs the whole balance, the whole delicate ecosystem, especially of a small lake like this one."

The mayor says more cleanup operations will come, but the community knows it's fighting an uphill battle.

Residents just hope that with enough organization and effort, they can keep the problem at bay.