Clean on a trip

The key for all boats (moored and trailer) is to check and clean as you go during a trip, so you leave anything that could be a problem right where you found it.

In places where there are special rules (for example, for exotic caulerpa and bonamia) you will need to bag and bin material to go to landfill.

And when you get your trailer boat home, include biosecurity precautions in your clean when you get home so you are ready for the next outing.

The steps

1. Check before you move

On a trip – a day trip or longer journey – get into the habit of checking your gear and your anchor whenever you pull it up, before you move on.

This is most important for gear that has been around the seabed, for example anchoring or dredging, because that’s where some of the invasive species live, for example exotic caulerpa.

2. Check and take off anything that has been pulled up

You will mainly get weeds and mud.

Be sure to check:

anchor, chains and ropes
fishing gear such as crab or lobster pots, nets.

Clean the anchor just below the surface before it comes on-board. Or, if you see it still has debris attached when it’s on-deck, slosh it with buckets of water.

3. Avoid visiting infested places and check the rules

Avoiding places where there’s a known infestation of an invasive marine species helps reduce risk of snagging and moving anything back to your favourite place. If you really must go, always check the rules beforehand.

4. Clean a trailer boat at the end of the trip

Do this at the end of your trip:

Drain any water from your trailer boat on land (including bilge water, fish or bait holding tanks)
Inspect your boat for anything tangled in ropes or other gear, and put it in a bin that goes to landfill
Rinse everything with freshwater and allow it to dry before using it in a new location (make sure the water drains to land, not the sea).

For trailer boats – including kayaks and jetskis

At the end of your trip – so you are ready for next time:

drain any water from your trailer boat on land (bilge water, fish or bait holding tanks)
inspect your boat for anything tangled in ropes or other gear and put it in a bin that goes to landfill
rinse everything with fresh water and allow it to dry for several days before using it in a new location (make sure the water drains to land, not the sea).