The use of watercraft inspection and decontamination programs have become a major strategy to prevent the spread and introduction of invasive mussels throughout the western states

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Fish and Aquatic Conservation - Aquatic Invasive Species program (CFDA 15.608) will support Conservation Collaborations, L.L.C., a woman-owned small business, in observing and describing the operations of a new decontamination tool known as a "dip tank" to prevent the spread of invasive mussel larvae. The $125,983 award, effective August 1, 2024 through March 31, 2026, will explore the operational consistency of dip tanks, determine the status of invasive mussels after decontamination, and characterize the viability of invasive mussel DNA post-decontamination. This evaluation of the new dip tank decontamination method will provide insights to improve targeted decontamination strategies across western watercraft inspection and decontamination programs aimed at preventing the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species.

By using consistent and effective protocols, managers have realized success in identifying watercraft and other equipment that pose a risk. For more than a decade, scientific studies to determine how to kill invasive mussels have shown that hot water and drying are highly effective methods. The use of hot water to decontaminate watercraft with the use of decontamination units administered by trained staff has been used by many agencies. A new decontamination tool (DIP tank) that submerges watercraft with ballast to decontaminate has recently been used to prevent invasive mussellarvae from waterbodies infested with mussels. The goal of this project is to observe and describe the DIP tank operations to inform decontamination management strategies across western watercraft and decontamination programs. Specific objectives will explore the operational consistency of DIP tanks by measuring variables, determine the status of invasive mussels after decontamination in the DIP tank on multiple watercraft, and characterize the viability of the invasive mussel DNA after exposed to the DIP tank decontamination. An evaluation of this new decontamination tool will help provide insights in the effectiveness of alternative methods to provide targeted decontamination.