The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has been doing a strong round of checking's that largely involves check against boaters who illegally transport invasive species. Till date this checking has led to the discovery of more than 1,300 boaters carrying plants and invasive species on their boats.

"We're running at 26 % violation rate. That means one out of the four boats coming into these check stations are in violation of one of our laws", said Captain Greg Salog of the DNR.

Official figures revealed that 169 tickets and 375 warnings have been issued so far. The fine imposed on the boaters range from $100 to $500, a portion of the fines around $87 goes to court costs and the rest back into enforcement.

For the checks, sniffing dogs have been brought into use by the department since the spring last year. Currently the DNR has two dogs and four more will join duty this year.

University of Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Expert, Ray Newman, explained that it is impossible to completely stop the spread of invasive species, but these steps will reduce the spread and this could be best done by making sure that all boaters are aware of invasive species laws, which state that in Minnesota it is illegal to the following:

· Transport watercraft without the drain plug removed.

· Arrive at lake access with drain plug in place.

· Transport aquatic plants, zebra mussels, or other prohibited species, whether dead or alive.

· Launch watercraft with prohibited species attached.

· Transport water from Minnesota lakes or rivers.

· Release live bait into the water.