Robots as vectors for marine invasions: best practices for minimizing transmission of invasive species via observation-class ROVs.

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Date
2015Author
Thaler, Andrew David
Freitag, Amy
Bergman, Erika
Fretz, Dominik
Saleu, William
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Show full item recordAbstract
Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) present a potential risk for the transmission of invasive species. This is particularly
the case for small, low-cost microROVs that can be easily transported among ecosystems and, if not properly cleaned
and treated, may introduce novel species into new regions. Here we present a set of 5 best-practice guidelines to reduce
the risk of marine invasive species introduction for microROV operators. These guidelines include: educating ROV users
about the causes and potential harm of species invasion; visually inspecting ROVs prior to and at the conclusion of each
dive; rinsing ROVs in sterile freshwater following each dive; washing ROVs in a mild bleach (or other sanitizing agent)
solution before moving between discrete geographic regions or ecosystems; and minimizing transport between
ecosystems. We also provide a checklist that microROV users can incorporate into their pre-and post
-dive maintenance routine......
Journal
Tropical Conservation ScienceVolume
8Issue
3Page Range
pp.711-717Document Language
enSustainable Development Goals (SDG)
14.2Maturity Level
TRL 5 System/subsystem/component validation in relevant environmentBest Practice Type
Best PracticeGuide
ISSN
1940-082Citation
Thaler, A. D.; Freitag, A.; Bergman, E.; Fretz, D. and Saleu, W. (2015) Robots as vectors for marine invasions: best practices for minimizing transmission of invasive species via observation-class ROVs. Tropical Conservation Science, 8(3), pp.711-717. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.25607/OBP-23Collections