Invasive Exotics Prevention: Successful Prevention of Invasives from Anthropogenic Pathways

Prevention strategies for limiting spread of aquatic invasive species by recreational boaters

Reuben Keller

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 11:30-12:00

Small-craft recreational boaters are significant secondary vectors in the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS). We surveyed recreational boaters in northern Wisconsin and Michigan to determine local movement patterns and AIS hygiene behaviors. Many boaters showed high fidelity to single lakes, and therefore pose little risk of spreading invaders. A small number of boaters visit multiple lakes although daily movement distances were typically small. Of the range of recreational boater surveyed, fishing guides showed the greatest propensity to move between lakes and collectively visited the largest number of different lakes. Boaters generally showed good awareness of their potential to spread aquatic weeds but fewer reported that they regularly wash their boat or drain live wells between lakes. However, most were willing to use boatwashing facilities if these were made available. These data enable risk assessments and development of targeted education strategies for each boater group. By combining these results with spread models we can identify the most important local sources of invasive species, and inform more effective intervention strategies.

Keywords: AQUATIC WEEDS, PREVENTION EDUCATION, RECREATIONAL BOATERS