Watercraft decontamination practices to reduce the viability of aquatic invasive species implicated in overland transport
Abstract Recreational boating activities enable aquatic invasive species (AIS) dispersal among disconnected lakes, as invertebrates and plants caught on or contained within watercraft and equipment used in invaded waterbodies can survive overland transport. Besides simple preventive measures such as...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33204-0 |
| _version_ | 1797832075654463488 |
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| author | Shrisha Mohit Timothy B. Johnson Shelley E. Arnott |
| author_facet | Shrisha Mohit Timothy B. Johnson Shelley E. Arnott |
| author_sort | Shrisha Mohit |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Recreational boating activities enable aquatic invasive species (AIS) dispersal among disconnected lakes, as invertebrates and plants caught on or contained within watercraft and equipment used in invaded waterbodies can survive overland transport. Besides simple preventive measures such as "clean, drain, dry", resource management agencies recommend decontaminating watercraft and equipment using high water pressure, rinsing with hot water, or air-drying to inhibit this mode of secondary spread. There is a lack of studies assessing the efficacy of these methods under realistic conditions and their feasibility for recreational boaters. Hence, we addressed this knowledge gap via experiments on six invertebrate and plant AIS present in Ontario. Washing at high pressures of 900–1200 psi removed the most biological material (90%) from surfaces. Brief (< 10 s) exposure to water at ≥ 60 °C caused nearly 100% mortality among all species tested, except banded mystery snails. Acclimation to temperatures from 15 to 30 °C before hot water exposure had little effect on the minimum temperature required for no survival. Air-drying durations producing complete mortality were ≥ 60 h for zebra mussels and spiny waterfleas, and ≥ 6 days among plants, whereas survival remained high among snails after a week of air-drying. Hot water exposure followed by air-drying was more effective than either method separately against all species tested. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T14:03:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-351eecee94d54a969fb47607e09024b7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T14:03:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-351eecee94d54a969fb47607e09024b72023-05-07T11:12:37ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-05-0113111310.1038/s41598-023-33204-0Watercraft decontamination practices to reduce the viability of aquatic invasive species implicated in overland transportShrisha Mohit0Timothy B. Johnson1Shelley E. Arnott2Department of Biology, Queen’s UniversityOntario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources, and ForestryDepartment of Biology, Queen’s UniversityAbstract Recreational boating activities enable aquatic invasive species (AIS) dispersal among disconnected lakes, as invertebrates and plants caught on or contained within watercraft and equipment used in invaded waterbodies can survive overland transport. Besides simple preventive measures such as "clean, drain, dry", resource management agencies recommend decontaminating watercraft and equipment using high water pressure, rinsing with hot water, or air-drying to inhibit this mode of secondary spread. There is a lack of studies assessing the efficacy of these methods under realistic conditions and their feasibility for recreational boaters. Hence, we addressed this knowledge gap via experiments on six invertebrate and plant AIS present in Ontario. Washing at high pressures of 900–1200 psi removed the most biological material (90%) from surfaces. Brief (< 10 s) exposure to water at ≥ 60 °C caused nearly 100% mortality among all species tested, except banded mystery snails. Acclimation to temperatures from 15 to 30 °C before hot water exposure had little effect on the minimum temperature required for no survival. Air-drying durations producing complete mortality were ≥ 60 h for zebra mussels and spiny waterfleas, and ≥ 6 days among plants, whereas survival remained high among snails after a week of air-drying. Hot water exposure followed by air-drying was more effective than either method separately against all species tested.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33204-0 |
| spellingShingle | Shrisha Mohit Timothy B. Johnson Shelley E. Arnott Watercraft decontamination practices to reduce the viability of aquatic invasive species implicated in overland transport Scientific Reports |
| title | Watercraft decontamination practices to reduce the viability of aquatic invasive species implicated in overland transport |
| title_full | Watercraft decontamination practices to reduce the viability of aquatic invasive species implicated in overland transport |
| title_fullStr | Watercraft decontamination practices to reduce the viability of aquatic invasive species implicated in overland transport |
| title_full_unstemmed | Watercraft decontamination practices to reduce the viability of aquatic invasive species implicated in overland transport |
| title_short | Watercraft decontamination practices to reduce the viability of aquatic invasive species implicated in overland transport |
| title_sort | watercraft decontamination practices to reduce the viability of aquatic invasive species implicated in overland transport |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33204-0 |
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