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Aquatic Invasive Species Laws

Minnesota Statute 84D

It is illegal to transport AIS on roadways or to introduce them into a body of water.

Subd. 4.    Warnings; civil citations.  After appropriate training, conservation officers, other licensed peace officers, and other department personnel designated by the commissioner may issue warnings or citations to a person who:

 (1) unlawfully transports prohibited invasive species or aquatic macrophytes;

(2) unlawfully places or attempts to place into waters of  the state a trailer, a watercraft, or plant harvesting equipment  that has prohibited invasive species attached;

(3) intentionally damages, moves, removes, or sinks a buoy  marking, as prescribed by rule, Eurasian water milfoil;

(4) fails to drain water, as required by rule, from watercraft and equipment before leaving designated zebra mussel,  spiny water flea, or other invasive plankton infested waters; or

(5) transports infested water, in violation of rule, off  riparian property.

Subd. 5.    Civil penalties.  A civil citation issued  under this section must impose the following penalty amounts:       (1) for transporting aquatic macrophytes on a forest road  as defined by section 89.001, subdivision 14, road or highway as  defined by section 160.02, subdivision 26, or any other public  road, $50;       (2) for placing or attempting to place into waters of the  state a watercraft, a trailer, or aquatic plant harvesting  equipment that has aquatic macrophytes attached, $100;

(3) for unlawfully possessing or transporting a prohibited  invasive species other than an aquatic macrophyte, $250;

(4) for placing or attempting to place into waters of the  state a watercraft, a trailer, or aquatic plant harvesting  equipment that has prohibited invasive species attached when the  waters are not designated by the commissioner as being infested  with that invasive species, $500 for the first offense and  $1,000 for each subsequent offense;      

(5) for intentionally damaging, moving, removing, or sinking a buoy marking, as prescribed by rule, Eurasian water  milfoil, $100;      

(6) for failing to drain water, as required by rule, from  watercraft and equipment before leaving designated zebra mussel,  spiny water flea, or other invasive plankton infested waters,  $50;  

Wisconsin  Section 30.715, Stat. 2001

WI Act 16 (illegal to launch law) Prohibits launching a boat or trailer if aquatic plants or zebra mussels are attached.  However 16% of the boaters in Wisconsin in 2005 were not aware of this law.