Play Your Part — 'Clean, Drain, Dry'
It's a fact of AIS life that eradication of species already here, in most cases, is virtually impossible.
Thus, "Clean, Drain, Dry" is the unified battle cry to combat the spread of invasive species. It works quite well in most cases.
Following some simple steps, a boater can make sure through boat care, that they can minimize the likelihood of transporting these species.
Boaters moving between waterways should rinse their boats and all equipment with freshwater and remove any vegetation or visible species. If hot water is available, even better. Drain all water from the boat and any bait- or livewells. Leave the drain plug out during transport. And allow the boat to dry between leaving one water body and launching in another when possible.
Following these steps should prevent the spread of species to your favorites place and will make launching at places with inspection stations go more smoothly and who doesn't want that.
Different states and water bodies have varying inspection protocols to verify that boats are invasive-free before launching. These range from self-inspection areas and volunteer-run ramp inspections to roadside inspection stations staffed by law enforcement. The level of inspection program varies depending on budgets, amount of access points, and the perceived threat of the invasive species. If invasive species or standing water is found on a boat at an inspection station, this often triggers decontamination.
Decontamination treats a boat to kill and remove any invasive species that are present. One of the challenges with decontamination is, depending on the infrastructure available and the species present, methods can vary. This can leave boaters and other law enforcement leery. Where it's available, hot water can be very effective at killing juvenile zebra mussels, and high-pressure water can remove attached mussels from boat hulls. But hot water and pressure washers are not available in all areas, especially remote locations