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Course Outline

Follow these steps every time you come in contact with any body of water. By doing so, you can protect your waters from harmful aquatic hitchhikers.

  • Before leaving a launch area, do a full inspection, removing all visible mud, plants, and fish/animals.
    • Examine all your gear, boats, trailers, clothing, buckets, etc.
    • Remove any visible plants (even plant fragments), fish, or animals.
    • Leave any potential hitchhiker at the area you visited.
  • Eliminate water from all equipment while at the area you visited.
    • Remove the drain plug, and drain bilges and live wells away from the body of water.
    • Remove water from motors, jet drives, holds, boat hulls, scuba tanks and regulators, boots, waders, bait buckets, and floats.
    • Once water is eliminated, clean all items.
  • Clean and dry anything that came in contact with the water.
    • Use hot water to clean your boats, motors, trailers, anchors, decoys, floats, and nets.
    • Where available, pressure wash the hull, motor, and any gear exposed to the water.
    • Be sure to clean the propeller area and bottom of the hull.
    • Dry thoroughly. If possible, allow five days of drying time before entering new waters.
  • Do not release plants, fish, or animals into a body of water unless they came out of that body of water.

For more information, visit the WDFW Aquatic Invasive Species website.

Hydrilla on boat
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