The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said the financial impact doesn’t include potential damage to aquatic food webs that would seriously harm fish stocks, including valuable native fish populations such as sockeye salmon. The mussels are filter feeders that strain suspended food particles out of the water, disrupting natural food chains. The Invasive Species Council of B.C. is advising aquarium owners and those who stock outdoor ponds with plants to carefully check any recent purchases of ornamental plants made either in stores or by mail. Conservation officers started notifying and inspecting plant and pet stores across B.C. over the weekend.