center for aquatic nuisance,    formula 409,    invasive species,    new zealand mud snails

Think That Spray Bottle of Formula 409 Protects Your Gear From Invasives? Think Again

By Tom Chandler 11/22/2010

Like most of us, I read about Formula 409's near-magical ability to kill New Zealand Mud Snails.

I also read that the Formula 409 used wasn't the everyday Formula 409 you buy in the stores, but a lot of fly fishermen apparently didn't get that last memo, and word has spread about Formula 409.

Which - as it turns out - doesn't work very well at all. At least according to this from the Center For Aquatic Nuisance website (The Story of Formula 409):

The news that CDFG said that Formula 409© would disinfect wading gear spread rapidly through the fishing community. Many anglers began to carry spray bottles and have become religious about cleaning their boots with Formula 409© after each trip.

Unfortunately, from the very beginning, anglers failed to understand that the measures needed to disinfect boots using Formula 409© went far beyond just spraying the boots.

The first problem for the average angler is that the disinfection method used in the CDFG experiments were never adequately communicated by the fishing community.

The CDFG Formula 409© experiments were conducted by taking boots and sealing them in a waterproof bag along with 2 – 2 ½ gallons of 50% Formula 409©. The bag was then sealed and vigorously shaken to make sure all boot parts were soaked. The boots were soaked in the chemical solution for a full five minutes. Only when thoroughly soaked for at least five minutes did the 50% Formula 409© prove to be effective at killing NZMS.

A second misunderstanding that many anglers experienced was that the 409 compound used by the researchers was a completely different formulation than that which is sold in spray bottles. Formula 409© is made by Clorox Company and they actually make five or six different chemical combinations that they market as varieties of Formula 409©. The Formula 409© used by the CDFG researchers was a special degreaser formula that is not what is typically available.

As word spread that Formula 409© was an effective disinfectant the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) determined that they needed additional information before they could recommend its use. Consequently, they conducted a second series of experiments using Formula 409©. Their research was published in a peer-reviewed article published in North American Journal of Fisheries Management magazine titled Application of Household Disinfectants to Control New Zealand Mudsnails .

The CDOW researchers compared the efficacy of treating with Formula 409© to treatments with the disinfectant Sparquat, a disinfectant not commonly available to the public that is used by some agencies to disinfect their equipment. In the CDOW study the researchers discovered that Formula 409© was only effective in killing mud snails when used at 100% strength in a soak for a minimum of 10 minutes. These researchers questioned the previous claim that a five minute soak in a 50% concentration was adequate to kill the snails as their work showed 100% for 10 minutes was actually required.

The story also noted a few other unfortunate realities for fly fishermen:

  • Spraying any kind of Formula 409 isn't effective (only soaking in a bag works)

  • Formula 409 isn't a universal disinfectant; its effectivness against other invasives is unclear at best

  • Only the very hard-to-find "degreaser" version of Formula 409 proved more than marginally effective - not the spray stuff


OK. It's not exactly stellar news in the war on invasives, but if you've been spraying standard Formula 409 on your wading boots and calling it good (against all invasives), you've been deluding yourself.

Dang.

See you back at the lab, Tom Chandler

UPDATE: Ralph Cutter has good info at his site, though it's clear that the degreaser style of Formula 409 is pretty hard to come by...

AuthorPicture

Tom Chandler

As the author of the decade leading fly fishing blog Trout Underground, Tom believes that fishing is not about measuring the experience but instead of about having fun. As a staunch environmentalist, he brings to the Yobi Community thought leadership on environmental and access issues facing us today.

The information is up to date. Quaternary ammonia compounds (the active ingredient in 409 degreaser/disinfectant, grapefruit seed extract, and Sparquat) seem to be the safest and most effective broad spectrum biocide (hate that word). Sparquat 265 and other biocides used in the fish farming and the aquaculture industry in general are specifically engineered to have rapid knock down of pathogens while ... more causing minimal if any damage to equipment. They are widely used by Fish and Game and commercial fish farms in California but since they aren't registered with Cal EPA as approved biocides (very lengthy and expensive process) they can't be advertised as such.
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For me I've ended up with a couple pair and just make sure that I'm taking a dead dry for a while pair when I change waters..... I also rinse every time (waders get rinsed too) at least as far as I understand that should be effective .... I just gave up felt altogether....
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The more I look at the fishermen / INNS issue, the more I'm convinced that we'll eventually have no alternative but to revert to rubber boots with rubber cleats and tungsten studs, plus breathable uppers if we're lucky. Simple to scrub and disinfect, patently no hiding place for unwanted hitch-hikers...
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Not that this subject is remotely funny, but one of my top five ways to tell if you were in a bachelor fly fishermans house: open the freezer, it will be full of waders & boots. Mine is!
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I think Ralph Cutter has some good info that actually mentions the type of 409: http://www.flyline.com/environmental/nzms/ Is this still accurate? I prefer the old boots = infected boot approach, not only for convenience, but the less chemicals that potentially go back into our water system the better in my book.
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Whenever I post anything about invasives, typically somebody suggests they don't know why a universal disinfecting procedure hasn't yet been invented. It's a tempting thought; one thing you can do that always works. Sadly - given the range of invasives facing us - I don't think a single, convenient (spray-bottle convenient anyway) solution is headed our way soon. As much as I hate to say it, it's ... more likely that those regularly fishing infected waters will end up with a couple pairs of boots.
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Three sets of felt wading shoes appears to be the perfect number (for me). I have two pair with me which allows me to fish the Upper Sac - and wear the other pair should I want to visit the McCloud on the same trip. The third set is usually left at home as it may still be drying from a trip 30 days (or less) ago. I don't freeze the shoes unless the last trip they were used was less than 45 days ago. ... more ... and all boots are hung, so the felt is available to the open air for drying purposes.
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The only real remedy seems to be two pairs of boots. Will you see me wearing completely destroyed circa-2006 Simms when on the American or Putah? Definitely, as the new ones only get wet on clean mountain streams. They both still get cleaned and frozen, but I'm definitely a bit more confident this way.
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