Blue-green algae is not a rare occurrence, nor is it limited to Oregon or the Pacific Northwest. It’s been reported as far south and east as Florida in the United States and is seen commonly in other countries. In addition to blue-green algae, toxic red tides can arise from algal blooms. Waters can also be impacted by agriculture runoff and industrial pollution. There are a variety of factors that can make your favorite waterway suddenly unsafe.

How can you tell if the water is safe for boating?

It’s nice to think that water that looks clean is clean, and it’s true that many changes to the water can be easily seen. A red tide, for example, that typically occurs along coastal waterways will be easy to spot; the water literally turns red in areas. Extreme pollution may also affect the clarity of the water, a change a frequent visitor to a lake or stream may be able recognize with the naked eye. However, it’s not a good idea to rely on your vision when determining the safety of the water.

In the United States, government agencies are charged with monitoring the safety of most waterways. If a change occurs, they may post warnings to web sites, alert the media, or erect signs on-site. Become familiar with the water quality standards in your area, as well as the agencies responsibility for their regulating and enforcing them.

When it comes to boating safety, it’s not just what happens on the boat that counts. Before putting your boat in the water this summer, make sure you get familiar with the water condition in your area. Do your part to keep the local surface water safe by practicing green boating.

PHOTO CREDIT

Oil spreads very quickly into a thin sheen on top of the water. As little as one cup of oil can create a sheen over more than an acre of calm water. These oil slicks create a barrier to the oxygen that normally moves across the water’s surface, causing significant problems for both animal and plant life. When it comes to oil and fuel spills, a little bit can do a lot of harm.

Prevention, of course, is crucial. Take the time to learn how to safely fuel your boat to prevent spills and know where your marinas spill station is located. But accidents can happen to even the most careful among us. What do you do if you have a fuel spill in the water?

How to Handle a Fuel Spill on a Boat:

1. Act quickly – remember that a small spill can spread quickly
2. Place an absorbent oil-only mat pad over the spill
3. Dispose of the used pad properly
4. Contact staff at your local marina

That’s it! The most important part of handling a spill is to react quickly and to be prepared with the proper materials. Always have an oil absorbing mat or pad on board or with your boating gear, and know exactly where it’s stored.

Are you prepared or boating season? Do your part today by making sure you have the right supplies to take care of a fuel or oil spill.

Monofilament is essentially a single, long strand of flexible plastic. Like most plastics, monofilament is petroleum based and capable of persisting in our lakes, rivers, and oceans for centuries.

Usually thin and clear, these plastic lines are very difficult for most marine animals to see, making entanglement a common occurrence for everything from the smallest fish to the biggest whales. The poor creatures who get caught up in this stuff usually suffer dramatically from the encounter. Strangulation, disfigurement, and a painful death are often the end result for anything unlucky to encounter this stuff.

Many aquatic animals also swallow monofilament unwittingly, leading to internal damage and slow starvation.

Almost all plastic line ends up in the water when a fisherman snags a hook on something stronger than the line itself, resulting in a snapped line. Bushes and tree near the water are notorious for grabbing lines too. Plenty of line finds its way to the water by a big gust of wind or a careless fisherman who doesn’t pay enough attention to where their line goes since this stuff is so cheap.

In the end, this carelessness is unnecessary and hurtful to the planet.

Some common sense guidelines can keep this nasty stuff from causing the problems it does.

First, if you come across an entangled animal be careful. If you feel uncomfortable dealing with the problem yourself call your local fish and game department, these are the jobs they are there to handle.

Once you come across stray line, secure it as best you can and look for the growing number of line recycling bins that are popping up across the country.

If you don’t have a local bin you can usually take monofilament to your local tackle shop for recycling.

Better yet, contact one of the numerous agencies trying to raise awareness of this problem, such as the Monofilament & Recovery Recycling Program at http://www.fishinglinerecycling.org/other_recycling_programs.htm#Programs_in_the_United_States and start a recycling bin near your marina.

When you’re on the water do everything you can to avoid snags and make the effort to recover your line along with any others you may come across.

If you have to throw out a tangled mess of monofilament cut it into the smallest length you can. This will keep the scavengers from your local landfill from getting tangled in a 30 foot line.

Protecting Your Boat

• If your marina or boat club puts oil containment booms in place, do not attempt to cross the booms with your boat. This will only spread the oil and damage the booms or possibly your vessel’s running gear.

• If there is oil in your marina, refrain from running engines or other devices that have seawater intakes such as air conditioners or refrigerators. To be safe, keep seacocks closed.

• Hauling out your boat will prevent damage, but as of press time it was not clear if these costs will be reimbursed by British Petroleum (BP).

• If the spill is sighted coming toward your marina or already there, call the BP Community Information Hotline at       866-448-5816         866-448-5816 to make a report.

• If your boat comes in contact with the oil, do everything you can to safely remove the contaminant and call your insurance company to file a claim.

Protecting the Environment 

The environmental impacts from this spill will likely be felt for years to come. Want to know how you can to your part to help wildlife and the Gulf environment?

Watch for Oil Coming Ashore

If you live near the impacted waterways, watch for signs of change on your beaches and estuaries.

• Report oiled wildlife by calling:               1-866-557-1401         1-866-557-1401

• Report oiled shoreline by calling:               1-866-448-5816         1-866-448-5816

Volunteer to Help Clean Up

Always heed local warnings from public health officials!

• Volunteers should not attempt to clean impacted beaches themselves or attempt to rescue oiled wildlife on their own. Touching unrefined oil is a health risk and disposing of it improperly will cause additional environmental damage. Note also that distressed wildlife may become aggressive and cause harm to you.

• Do not trespass on closed beaches; even leaving your footprints behind may cause oil to spread creating environmental damage.

For those who want to clean litter from the beaches before oil comes ashore:

• Use approved access points.

• Stay below the tidal line.

• Leave natural debris in place as it often provides valuable nesting benefits to shorebirds and other wildlife.

• Do not place debris in the dunes or above the high water line.

• Don’t use equipment such as rakes, shovels or tractors.

• Leave dogs at home (dogs are a primary source of beach bird disturbance and mortality).

Once the oil makes landfall anyone interested in volunteering will likely need to attend a four-hour course in health and safety for handling petroleum contaminated materials. To find volunteer opportunities in your area call:               1-866-448-5816         1-866-448-5816 or visit: http://oilspillvolunteers.com/

• Louisiana: http://www.volunteerlouisiana.gov/
• Mississippi: http://www.volunteermississippi.org/1800Vol/OpenIndexAction.do
• Florida: http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org/
• Alabama: http://www.servealabama.gov/2010/default.aspx

Donate

While BP is ultimately responsible for the clean-up costs, local groups on the ground don’t have the resources they need immediately to make a difference. Consider supporting a local conservation group in their efforts to respond to the spill.

• Tristate Bird Rescue and Research http://www.tristatebird.org/

• Greater New Orleans Foundation http://www.gnof.org/disaster-on-the-gulf-coast/

Let’s get this little issue out of the way up front.  In addition to deciding to write a blog about green boating I decided to start a company committed to selling environmentally friendly boating supplies. Our store greenboatstuff.com sells a lot of the products discussed in this book.

            Before anyone accuses me of being an opportunistic capitalist let me proudly admit that I am.  Government regulations and sound public policy are essential to steering the ship of environmental reform in the direction it needs to go.

Real change, however, usually comes from the ground up.  Maybe I am naïve, but I believe that once the education process takes hold, and consumers become aware of the environmental consequences of their purchasing decisions, the free market can solve many of our problems much better than someone telling us we must do this or buy that.
            At least I hope so.
            In any event, as an author, a merchant, and a citizen of planet Earth I hope you do buy some of the green boat stuff we sell.  As this blog is meant to change the way boaters enjoy their time on the water, the items sold at www.greenboatstuff.com are meant to allow boaters to pursue their passions without inflicting any environmental harm. Hopefully one day soon you will be able to find a wide assortment of truly green products at your local boating supply store.