Properly Cleaning Your Gear and Chemical Use
The Federation of Fly Fishers is committed to educating the public on their role in preventing the spread of invasive species and providing the most accepted and current information regarding prevention techniques. One of the most common requests is for information about what chemicals can be used to kill the invaders that might be on our gear.
There have been many studies to determine what chemicals or methods can be used to destroy specific invasive species. This information is helpful to researchers and scientists who work with individual species in laboratory or field studies and must properly dispose or decontaminate research materials. However, the use of chemicals to clean recreation equipment is not well supported.
Because of the breadth of invasive species (plants, parasites, invertebrates, animals & microbes), there is no single chemical that can be used to decontaminate recreational equipment and effectively kill all possible species without damage to other native aquatic organisms. Additionally, for each chemical different quantities must be used, further complicating the appropriate use of chemicals. The Federation of Fly Fishers does not support the use of chemicals to clean waders, boots, boats, float tubes or other recreational equipment.
The Federation of Fly Fishers supports and encourages the methods to inspect and remove from plants and dirt your gear, clean your gear with fresh water, preferable high pressure hot water, and thoroughly dry your equipment. If it is not possible to follow this simple cleaning regime we suggest alternating between two sets of wading boots or upgrading to rubber lug sole boots with screws for traction. Finally, the FFF suggests that to best reduce the spread of invasives you use only boot footed waders without felt soles. We do not recommend the use of separate waders and wading shoes as these are much more difficult to keep invasive free.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chemical Use:
I have heard that Formula 409 kills some invasives. Is this true?
This is a great example of the problem we run into as we look at chemical control. Extensive testing in California and other places has shown that Formula 409 can be effective in ridding gear of New Zealand mud snails. Unfortunately, Formula 409 is not approved by the EPA for use in this manner. Therefore, any use of it in this way is actually a violation of the law. In fact, Formula 409 has now put a disclaimer on the bottle informing people that it is only to be used as a household cleaner.
But if it works, why shouldn’t I use it?
First of all, you should never use a chemical treatment of any sort in or near the water. It is logical to assume that a chemical that kills mud snails will also kill other creatures. It is difficult to justify using a control chemical if it also harms desirable species. Another risk with using 409 or any other single species chemical is that many people will not be aware of the limitations of the chemical. 409 will kill mud snails but it has no impact on whirling disease, zebra mussels, Eurasian milfoil or a host of other invaders. If an angler believes that by treating with one chemical they are protected against all invasives they may actually spread other organisms while believing they are protected.
How about using salt?
Salt can be helpful with some specific creatures. However, it again does not kill all of the species we are concerned about. In addition, accidental and incidental spills of salt or salt water onto the ground can be extremely damaging to the environmental. Imagine a boot washing station at an access point that is filled with saline water. It is reasonable to expect that every person who cleans their boots will spill a little water on the ground. The cumulative impact of these minor spills will be to create a dead zone surrounding the cleaning tank.
Will washing with plain water kill the invader?
No, it probably won’t. However, we are not looking to kill the organism, just to insure that we don’t move it to other waters. If every angler would carefully wash their boots before they leave a site we will significantly reduce the number of invasives that are spread. It is simple to clean off in the water at the site. By not using chemicals you can actually rinse right in the stream or lake. There is no pollution and you are only leaving behind what is already there.
What else can I do to prevent spread?
The most important thing is to make Inspect, Clean and Dry part of your angling experience. Do it every time you fish and insist that those you fish with do the same. Purchase boot foot waders with rubber soles. You will be surprised at how easy it is to make sure that these types of waders are always clean. Finally take the Clean Angling Pledge and encourage others to do the same.