Boaters: Clean, Drain, Dry Helps Slow AIS
Published: Wednesday, July 24, 2019
By: New York Sea Grant
Whether your watercraft is large or small, motorized or non-motorized, following some easy inspection steps each time you retrieve your personal watercraft or boat will help slow the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS), maintain the quality of recreational waters, and protect aquatic life habitat.
CLEAN
Before entering and leaving any body of water, remove any visible plants, animals, fish, and mud from your boat, trailer, or other equipment, and properly dispose of it at an AIS disposal station or on dry land away from vehicle traffic and the water.
Check anywhere aquatic debris may collect, such as from the anchor or prop or intake pipes, trim tabs, seams, and sonar equipment. Don’t forget angling gear, water skis, ropes, and shoes, and, if your pet goes boating with you, give them a good inspection. Check trailers from hitch and winch to tires, wiring, rollers, and license plate.
Some launch sites will have high-pressure water units for washing your boat before and after launching, too.
DRAIN
Drain water from bilge, live wells, ballast tanks, boat body, and any place capable of holding water - and microscopic organisms - before leaving the launch area.
DRY
Dry your boat, trailer, and all equipment completely. Drying times vary depending on weather and type of drying material. Dry by hand, or let the vessel sit for five days to air dry, which encourages AIS die-off during the summer season.
Be Proactive with Simple Resources
Follow a Checklist: The How-To Tips for Slowing the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species published by New York Sea Grant, NOAA, and Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers includes a “Watercraft Check Points” checklist and illustration, courtesy of the University of Wisconsin Extension Lakes.
--> Download the checklist here.
For those interested in starting an inspection steward program, the 82-page New York State Watercraft Inspection Steward Program Handbook, published by New York Sea Grant, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, includes a steward training and field guide.
--> Download the steward training and field guide here.
Author Mary Penney Austerman notes, “Standardizing your practices adds efficiency and effectiveness to your educational programming and assists aquatic invasive species identification and mapping.”
Report: If you find what you think may be an AIS, your state may have resources such as New York’s Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management, for help with identifying a sample, or an AIS reporting site, such as iMapInvasives for reporting observations.
Watch the Video: See how easy Clean, Drain, Dry can be in this Watercraft Inspection How-To, produced by New York Sea Grant and the NYSG Launch Steward Program.
To learn more about New York Sea Grant, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, visit www.nyseagrant.org. New York Sea Grant maintains Great Lakes offices in Buffalo, Newark, and Oswego, N.Y.
This article first appeared in the Summer Issue (Jul/Aug) 2019 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
tags: Boating 101, Environmental Impact
