| Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are plants and animals that have been introduced into new ecosystems and have environmental, recreational, economic or health impacts. These invaders may damage equipment and compete with native species. Anglers and boaters may unknowingly introduce AIS into new waters.
 Clean Your Gear; help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.
- Check
- Drain
- Clean
- Or Dry
Stop aquatic hitchhikers by following these simple steps.
Check your equipment before leaving any body of water. Inspect every inch of your boat, trailer and fishing gear. Remove and leave behind plants, mud and aquatic life.
Check your boat
- Anchor and line
- Motor lower unit
- Hull
- Trailer hitch, rollers, lights and axle
- Life jackets
- Swimming floats, water skis, wakeboards or tubes
Check your fishing gear
- Shoes or boots
- Clothing
- Fishing vests
- Fishing rod, reel and line
- Hooks and lures
- Tackle boxes
Remove
- Visible plants
- Fish or other aquatic animals
- Mud and dirt
Do not transport any potential hitchhiker, even back to your home. Remove and leave them at the site you visited.
Drain water from all equipment before leaving the area you are visiting. Some species may live for months in water that has not been removed.
Drain
- Motors
- Jet drives
- Live wells
- Compartments
- Boat hulls
- Bilge
- Shoes, boots and waders
- Bait buckets
- Life jackets
- Swimming floats, water skis, wakeboards or tubes
Follow the cleaning instructions below after the water has been removed.
 Before going to another body of water, clean anything that came in contact with the water.
- Use hot (104° F) or salt water to clean your equipment.
- Spray equipment with a high-pressure washer. If hot water is not available, a commercial hot water car wash also makes an ideal location to wash your boat, motor and trailer.
The following recipes are recommended for cleaning hard-to-treat equipment that cannot be exposed to hot water:
- Dipping equipment into 100% vinegar for 20 minutes will kill harmful aquatic hitchhiker species.
- A 1% table salt solution for 24 hours can replace the vinegar dip. This table provides correct mixtures for the 1% salt solution in water:
| Gallons of Water |
Cups of Salt |
5
10
25
50
100 |
2/3
1 1/4
3
6 1/4
12 2/3 |
Or, dry everything before entering new waters. Allow equipment to dry to the touch, and then allow it to dry another 48 hours. Thick and dense material like life jackets will hold moisture longer, take longer to dry and be more difficult to clean.
STOP AQUATIC HITCHHIKERS. Do not transport any plants, fish or other aquatic life from one body of water to another. Do not release unused bait into the waters you are fishing. Dump unused bait in a trash can. |
