News Photo by Michael Gonzalez Ryan McConnell and Nick Lacross go out to the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail to fish on Friday Afternoon.

ALPENA — Sunday marked the start of Aquatic Invasive Species Awareness Week, a statewide campaign to educate the public about invasive species and how to prevent their spread.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has put this event on for 10 years, offering boaters useful tips to stop the spread of invasive species. Some of these tips are helpful choices boaters can follow, while some are required by law in Michigan.

These laws, according to an email from EGLE, require boaters to “remove all aquatic organisms, including plants, from watercraft and trailers before launching or transporting. Remove all drain plugs and drain all water from bilges, ballast tanks, and live wells before transporting a watercraft. Dispose of unused bait in the trash, not in the water.”

EGLE Aquatic Biologist Kevin Walters said the awareness weeks and messages have seen success toward their target audience.

“Clean, drain, dry,” Walters said. “It’s such a nice and simple thing to remember, it hasn’t been hard to get it in people’s heads. They don’t want these species as much as we don’t.”

Another tip Walters recommends is drying watercrafts or any items that touch the water. It’s highly recommended because some invasive species are difficult to see with the naked eye, according to Walters.

He said that zebra mussels, for example, in their larvae stage, are very difficult to see. Drying with a towel immediately or air-drying for efive days can kill the larvae, preventing any spread of the lifeform.

“They could be on stand-up paddles, those floating coolers – anything,” Walters said. “Anything that touches the water should be cleaned and dried to make sure invasive species don’t stay on them. It’s hard to make it a law since people may go from one body of water to another in the span of a day, but I highly suggest you do this.”

EGLE is also holding multiple Landing Blitz events around Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces. To learn more about where they’re being held, visit the Landing Blitz website, glc.org/work/blitz

To learn more about the awareness week, visit michigan.gov/invasives