User Specific Prevention Procedures: Surfers (including wind and kite surfers)

User Specific Prevention Procedures: Surfers (including wind and kite surfers) Wind and kite surfers enjoy surfing different bodies of water that encompasses fresh and saltwater environments. While enjoying these activities, surfers can inadvertently pick up aquatic hitchhikers that can be very detrimental to the next water body that is visited. As a surfer, before you leave an area, you should visibly check your board, sail, kite and string for aquatic plants and animals, even fragments or mud. Also dump water out of your wet suit and clean your board, sail, kite, string and wet suit as recommended in the Generic Prevention Procedures section.
User Specific Prevention Procedures: Swimmers Having floats, chairs and play toys for the children at a beach makes the day on the water that much more enjoyable. But if you use those same items at different lakes/rivers/bays/oceans you could be giving aquatic hitchhikers a ride to devastate new areas to the point you cannot even swim in the waters. We're not saying not to use the items, just be sure to empty all items that can hold water, remove dirt, mud, sand, weeds and animals, and clean all items that came in contact with the water. You can follow the instructions in the Generic Prevention Procedures section.
User Specific Prevention Procedures: Tourists Americans travel extensively. We travel to other states, from inland waters to coastal waters and vice versa, to countries around the world. If you have entered the water in your travels, be sure to clean anything that came in contact with that water including shoes, boots, waders, boats, trailers, dogs, etc. You do not want to be responsible for bringing into your home area something that is going to be destructive. Also, follow these guidelines before leaving on a trip so that you do not inadvertently introduce a hitchhiker to the area you plan to visit. See the Generic Prevention Procedures section for what to look for and how to clean.

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The Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers web site is part of the ANS Task Force public
awareness campaign and is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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Recreational Activities

Boating, Fishing, Swimming, Waterfowl Hunting, SCUBA Diving or Snorkeling, Windsurfing, Seaplane Operations, Personal Watercraft Use, Recreational Bait Harvesting

Common Hitchhikers

Zebra Mussels, Hydrilla, Whirling Disease, Spiny Water Fleas, Round Gobies, Water Hyacinth

Video Clips

Asian Carp in the Upper Mississippi River
(Real Video format)

Round Goby
(Quicktime Format)

New Audio Messages for Traveler Information Systems

Zebra Mussel (mp3)
Zebra Mussel #2 (mp3)

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