  Invasions of aquatic invasive species have imposed significant economic and
ecological damage to global aquatic ecosystems. Once an invasive population has
established in a new habitat, eradication can be financially and logistically
impossible, motivating management strategies to rely heavily upon prevention
measures aimed at reducing the introduction and spread. To be productive,
on-the-ground management of aquatic invasive species requires effective
decision-making surrounding the allocation of limited resources. Watercraft
inspections play an important role in managing aquatic invasive species by
preventing the overland transport of invasive species between waterbodies and
providing education to boaters. In this study, we developed and tested an
interactive web-based decision-support tool, AIS Explorer: Prioritization for
Watercraft Inspections, to guide AIS managers in developing efficient
watercraft inspection plans. The decision-support tool is informed by a novel
network model that maximized the number of inspected watercraft that move from
AIS-infested to uninfested waterbodies, within and outside of counties in
Minnesota, USA. It was iteratively built with stakeholder feedback, including
consultations with county managers, beta-testing of the web-based application,
and workshops to educate and train end-users. The co-development and
implementation of data-driven decision support tools demonstrate how
interdisciplinary methods can be used to connect science and management to
support decision-making. The AIS Explorer: Prioritization for Watercraft
Inspections application makes optimized research outputs accessible in multiple
dynamic forms that maintain pace with the identification of new infestations
and local needs. In addition, the decision support tool has supported improved
and closer communication between AIS managers and researchers on this topic.
