Diver Assisted Harvesting

Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting, or DASH, is one of the control methods employed in 2024 on the Manitowish Chain to assist with aquatic plant removal. It is a method appropriate for the removal of plants in larger more dense beds of plants rather than in areas of less dense or individual plants.

Surface applied air allows divers to remain underwater for long periods of time, improving efficiency and allowing for a systematic approach for removal of larger colonies of plants. DASH is NOT the cutting of plants. Once underwater, divers remove plants by the roots and feed them into a 50-foot suction hose. The entire plant is then transported via suction to the deck of the boat, and the plants are then sequestered into mesh bags for collection and later disposal on land. DASH was employed extensively for Eurasian watermilfoil this year.

In 2024, Aquatic Plant Management of Minocqua provided ~150 hours of Eurasian watermilfoil removal just in Manitowish Lake and the Trout River channel between Manitowish and Alder Lakes. This yielded ~ 44 cubic yards of plant material; over 80% of this was removed using DASH. To get an idea of the amount of material this is, a gravel truck often delivers ~11 cubic yards of material in a load. Roughly the equivalent volume to 4 gravel truck loads of plant material was removed.