AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES
Non-native aquatic species, plants, fish and animals are invading Connecticut’s waters. These pests can increase dramatically under the right conditions, displacing native species, clogging waterways, and impacting navigation and recreation. Once introduced, they are nearly impossible to eliminate. Hydrilla, Egeria Densa, water hyacinth and zebra mussels are nuisance species that can be accidentally transported by recreational boaters when caught in propellers, intakes or attached to hulls.
YOU CAN HELP PREVENT THE INTRODUCTION AND SPREAD OF NON-NATIVE SPECIES FROM ONE BODY OF WATER TO ANOTHER. 
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Inspect your boat and remove aquatic plants or animals before you leave any body of water.
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Flush raw-water cooling systems and clean sea strainers before moving your boat from one body of water to another.
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Empty bait buckets and remove any plant fragments from bait wells, fishing gear, trailers, dive gear or props. Dispose on land into a garbage receptacle.
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Drain water from your motor, live wells and bilge.
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Wash your boat before putting it into a new body of water.
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Report new infestation of non-native aquatic species to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
You can be fined $100 per plant that is not removed from your boat or trailer before leaving an area.
TO STOP THE SPREAD OF AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES, IT IS BEST TO CLEAN YOUR BOAT BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE BODY OF WATER.
