Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH)

Diver-Assisted Suction Harvesting, or DASH, provides an efficient and effective method of aquatic invasive plant removal. DASH has been proven successful in its ability to remove large, high-density beds of aquatic invasive plants from a variety of lakebed conditions in a relatively short amount of time.

Surface-supplied air allows our divers to remain underwater for an indefinite amount of time, greatly improving efficiency and allowing for a more systematic approach to AIS colony removal. Once underwater, divers remove the plants by the roots and feed them into a 50-foot suction hose. The entire plant is then transported via suction hose to the deck of the boat, at which point they are pumped directly into large mesh bags for collection. Due to the nature of DASH, the risk of plant fragmentation during transport to the boat is nearly eliminated.