Build an Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention, Rapid-Response, and Long-Term Management Program

Record participating federal, Tribal, state, territorial, local, landowner, utility, health, wildlife, laboratory, and emergency authorities; treaty and reserved rights; geographic and taxonomic scope; designated uses; roles; delegated limits; conflicts; records; data ownership; public-information lead; response succession; and review cadence. A plan, grant, contract, or detection does not expand legal authority.

Sources: [2], [1]

Inventory watercraft, trailers, fishing and recreational gear, bait, aquaculture, water gardens, classrooms, laboratories, research and restoration work, firefighting equipment, dredging and construction equipment, connected waters, transfers, stocking, releases, and other local pathways. Rank likelihood, consequence, control points, responsible parties, evidence gaps, and change triggers without claiming the ranking predicts an introduction.

Sources: [3], [2]

Teach people to inspect and remove visible material, drain where lawful, and dry equipment before moving between waters, while directing them to current jurisdiction-, species-, activity-, and equipment-specific rules. Do not publish a universal time, temperature, pressure, chemical, bleach, launch-clearance, or waste instruction. Clean, Drain, Dry education does not itself establish compliance or clearance.

Sources: [4], [6]

For regulated or programmatic watercraft and equipment work, record controlling protocol, authority, trained role, inspection support, compartments and residual water, findings, decontamination method, equipment compatibility, temperature or exposure evidence when required, wastewater and removed material, exceptions, reinspection, documentation, seal or clearance, destination, and expiration. No person may self-issue clearance from this guide.

Sources: [3], [14]

Use a current approved HACCP or equivalent plan for sampling, vessels, nets, pumps, sensors, anchors, waders, dive gear, substrates, specimens, water, sediment, vegetation, animals, vehicles, laboratories, and contractors. Define clean-to-dirty sequence, dedicated equipment, critical control points, inspection, decontamination, quarantine, wastewater and waste, verification, clearance, exceptions, retraining, and records.

Sources: [3], [4]

Maintain official source, jurisdiction, geography, taxon, synonym, classification, effective date, retrieval date, occurrence metadata, pathway evidence, alert subscription, limitations, and owner. Separate nonindigenous origin, range expansion, cryptogenic status, occurrence, establishment, invasive status, injurious listing, prohibited or regulated status, and local management priority.

Sources: [8], [10], [13], [7]

Connect pathway and habitat risk to target taxa, life stages, sites, timing, methods, effort, biosecurity, quality controls, laboratories, taxonomy, eDNA interpretation, reporting, verification, data release, and response triggers. Maintain trained personnel, agreements, supplies, safe access, contracts, communication, exercises, and correction paths. A non-detect does not establish absence or readiness.

Sources: [1], [11], [14]

Provide safe public and professional intake routes, minimum observation fields, sensitive-data controls, case IDs, triage, evidence receipt, specimen direction, custody, expert taxonomy, molecular review, conflict resolution, repeat work, authority confirmation, notifications, correction, and closure. Keep report, detection, identification, occurrence, establishment, status, and public communication separate.

Sources: [1], [8], [11]

Name lead and supporting authorities, incident or unified-command relationship, science and taxonomic leads, safety, operations, planning, logistics, finance, legal and regulatory, Tribal coordination, landowner and stakeholder engagement, public information, data steward, laboratories, contractors, mutual aid, succession, activation criteria, exercises, and after-action correction.

Sources: [2], [1]

Under the responsible authority, define the target, area, pathways, connected waters, life stages, season, methods, effort, detection probability, access, biosecurity, laboratories, verification, stop rules, data sensitivity, and uncertainty. Evaluate establishment evidence, spread risk, detection lag, feasibility, time sensitivity, resources, non-target receptors, social consequences, and alternatives before selecting action.

Sources: [2], [1]

Compare objectives, evidence, technical feasibility, timing, scale, probability and uncertainty, reinvasion, non-target and food-web effects, welfare, protected and cultural resources, water uses, access, public acceptance, cost, staffing, equipment, waste, maintenance, monitoring, reversibility, exit rules, and residual risk. Early detection improves options but does not guarantee eradication.

Sources: [2], [5]

Resolve access, possession, transport, take, animal welfare, protected species and habitat, cultural resources, water rights, boating, discharge, pesticide, waste, procurement, notification, consultation, and worker-safety requirements. Follow the complete current pesticide labeling; off-label use is not allowed. FIFRA labeling and Clean Water Act or other discharge permitting are independent questions, and a permit application is not permission.

Sources: [17], [15], [16], [7]

Maintain planning and response budgets, eligible and ineligible costs, match, reserves, emergency purchasing rules, prequalified expertise, laboratories, equipment, storage, mobilization, insurance, conflicts, data ownership, acceptance criteria, change control, invoicing evidence, and closeout. Separate eligibility, application, award, contract, notice to proceed, authorization, implementation, and acceptance.

Sources: [2]

Translate the approved alternative into bounded scope, exclusions, qualifications, locations, timing, methods, material or organism custody, calibration, dose and labeling where applicable, safety, biosecurity, wastewater and waste, non-target controls, inspections, stop-work authority, incidents, deviations, approvals, as-built evidence, acceptance, and data delivery. Reauthorize material changes separately.

Sources: [5], [17], [14]

Assign owners and resources for pathway prevention, reinvasion surveillance, operations, inspection, maintenance, repair, retreatment review, resistance or behavioral change, waste, non-target monitoring, habitat and food-web recovery, native restoration where authorized, public access, record retention, and exit or transition. Biological control, stocking, translocation, and pesticide work require separate authority and evidence.

Sources: [5], [3]

Before outcome data, register target and non-target endpoints, implementation fidelity, surveillance design, comparison, effort, detection probability, time horizon, reinvasion, environmental covariates, adverse effects, uncertainty, analysis, decision rules, reviewer, and reporting. Separate implementation, target reduction, containment, eradication evidence, restoration, and long-term effectiveness. Protect sensitive occurrence and response data, publish bounded status, and revise after new detections, authority changes, failures, exercises, monitoring, and independent review.

Sources: [2], [5], [10]