Hydrilla now exists in our part of the world with no natural enemies, and treatment can be difficult, and is expensive. Efforts at removal which involve pulling, cutting, or in any other way fragmenting the plants, can result in increasing numbers due to it's high replanting rate. Half, or more of the fragments can become new plants!

The best method of control, as with any invasive plant, is to prevent it from gaining a foothold. An ounce of prevention in this case, can be worth thousands of pounds of cure! Check every part of every watercraft for hitch hikers when moving between two bodies of water. Even your fishing tackle should be checked.

If prevention is no longer an option, the cures that are available are mechanical, biological, and chemical. As noted above, mechanical is not normally the best option. Sometimes however, it may be the only one left. If there is so much of the plant material available, that chemicals are no longer a viable option, and the pond or lake owner has become resigned to the fact that he will have to mow his lake on a regular basis just as he does his lawn, that may be the only viable option.

There is only one biological option at present. That is the use of Asian Grass Carp. It is illegal to posses dipoloid grass carp in Texas, but Tripoloid Grass Carp are available. These are sterile fish which consume hydrilla, and many other plants as well. To use this method, you must get a permit from the Texas Parks And Wildlife Department. Escape is a potential hazzard, so a barrier will have to be installed.