Responsible Boating

The sea, the great unifier, is man’s only hope. Now as never before, the old phrase has literal meaning: we are all in the same boat.

Jacques Yves Cousteau

Recreational and commercial boating provides relaxation, enjoyment, and livelihood to thousands of Long Beach Island residents and visitors. It contributes to the Island economy by providing jobs in fishing, boat manufacturing, and boat servicing. Unfortunately, boating also contributes to the pollution of LBI’s waters. All of us—especially boaters—have a lot to lose if the quality of our waters deteriorates.

Boaters and personal watercraft (jet ski) operators must recognize that they share the waters and marshes of Barnegat Bay with a remarkable number

The Barnegat sneakbox, designed by Captain of animals and plants that depend on the health of a fragile ecosystem. The cooperation of individual Hazelton Seaman in 1836, was a small hunting/fishing boat, ideal for the shallow waters boaters is essential in the effort to improve water and air quality and prevent pollution. What you do and salt marshes of Barnegat Bay. on the water today determines what’s in the water tomorrow.

When operating a boat, drive it conservatively. Marine engines are great contributors of hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) pollution. Boaters can greatly reduce engine pollution by limiting full-throttle operation, turning off engines promptly, and keeping their engines in good condition and well tuned.

In shallow waters like our Bay, boats often stir up their size and low profile, and the fact that bottom sediment. This limits light penetration, de- they could be quietly sailed, rowed, poled, pletes oxygen, and thus can affect fish, birds, and or sculled up to game or fish. In addition, eelgrass beds. Ride in the main channels, and limit covering a sneakbox with meadow grass riding in shallow water. When it is necessary to go or branches made it into a good portable into shallow water, keep your watercraft at a slow screen or blind. speed. Be aware of the low tides in Barnegat Bay, which make these areas even more vulnerable.

Wakes created by boats and personal watercraft contribute to shoreline erosion. Erosion is a concern because the slow destruction of shorelines affects the habitats of plants and animals.

The extent of shoreline erosion caused by boat wakes depends on the wake’s energy. The closer to the shore, the greater the hull size, the greater the speed, and the shallower the water, the more damage a boat wake can cause. This is especially important in our shallow Bay. To minimize shoreline erosion, boats and personal watercraft should reduce wakes within 500 feet of the shore. Posted No Wake Zones should always be observed.

Erosion from boat prop wash (agitation produced by a boat’s propeller while the engine is in gear) is often seen along docks and piers. If a boat is run in gear while tied up, sediments are stirred up and washed away. As these sediments resettle, they suffocate marine life.

Many of the cleaning, dissolving, and painting agents used for boat maintenance are toxic to marine and aquatic life. A few simple precautions can prevent these chemicals from harming our coastal water and harbors:

Use only fresh water to rinse and scrub your boat. Use a brush or power washer after each use. Do not use soap. If your boat is stained, use safe alternatives such as phosphate-free soap or phosphate-free laundry detergent. Be careful of products that remove stains and make your boat shine. Most are extremely toxic. Avoid any products with a “Toxic” warning on the label: they can kill marine life if washed overboard or accidentally spilled into the water.

Bottom paints that are used to prevent fouling cause environmental damage. “Fouling” refers to any organisms that can attach to and grow on the hulls of boats, negatively affecting their performance. Bottom paint contains pesticide ingredients intended to prevent barnacles, seaweed, and other fouling organisms from growing on the underwater areas of boats, docks, buoys, and other structures. Paints containing these pesticides are designed to continually release the active ingredient into the water.

Currently, a copper compound, usually cuprous oxide, is the most common active pesticide in antifouling paints. Other environmentally friendly alternatives are now available. These work by producing peroxides that kill fouling organisms while they are microscopic in size. Because peroxide quickly breaks down into water and oxygen, it is safe to use and does not hurt the environment. Use a Bay-Friendly bottom paint.

The residues of old paint from scraping and sanding are often washed into the water—either deliberately or by rain. When scraping the bottom of your boat, catch the scrapings in a dropcloth. Use sanders with vacuum attachments, and sweep up any scrapings or dust that escapes your dropcloth. Store them for your next Hazardous Waste Collection day.

Because it often contains oily waste, bilge water presents a major challenge for ecologically minded boaters. Adding detergent is not only environmentally damaging, it is illegal, and you can be fined for doing it. Before pumping bilge water overboard, capture the floating surface oil with oil-absorbent pads, paper towels, or old nylon stockings. A product called a bilge sock can be used to sop up oily bilge water. Bilge socks are available at local marinas and through the various harbor masters.

Fuel overflows are dangerous to people and toxic to fish and other aquatic life. Even small fuel spills are subject to Federal fines. Several commercial products are available from marine supply stores to help you prevent overflows. The most simple is a container that attaches to the fuel vent to capture the overflow. Other more sophisticated solutions are available. Even small spills must be wiped up immediately to keep them from reaching the water.

Never use a soap to disperse an oil sheen or spill. Fuel is much less harmful to the environment when it is allowed to evaporate. Using soap makes the fuel sink to the bottom where it causes harm to marine

Striped bass (Moronesaxatilis) , commonly called “stripers,” are a very popular sport fish. They are native to most of the East Coast Stripers have a large mouth with jaws extending backward to below the eye. They have a streamlined, silvery body marked with dark longitudinal stripes that run from behind the gills to the base of the tail.

Stripers are anadromous, which means they migrate between fresh and salt water

Striped bass travel in schools. They move about in small groups when young and feed and migrate in large schools as adults. Striped bass can live up to 40 years and reach weights greater than 100 pounds.

organisms. The Clean Water Act specifically prohibits the use of soap or detergent to dissipate oil on the water. A boat operator who causes or witnesses a spill is required to report it to the Coast Guard.

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One quart of oil can contaminate a million gallons of water!

Remember to dispose of your waste properly:

Fishing line thrown overboard takes 600 years to degrade.

Cigarette butts take 300 years to degrade.

Plastic six-pack rings, bags, and bottles take 450 years to degrade.

Because the Bay takes more than 70 days to flush out, throw your fish parts in the garbage.

2,500 tons of non-biodegradable plastic are thrown away in the U.S. every day!

It is illegal to dump untreated sewage into the water, and violators are subject to fines. If you have a toilet on your boat, it must be equipped with a Marine Sanitation Device (MSD). If your boat does not have an installed toilet, consider using a portable toilet and dumping the contents safely onshore.

Regardless of what type of MSD your boat has, sewage pumpout stations or portable pumpout units should be used when moored or docked in marinas or harbors. This is the only way to empty holding tanks in an environmentally responsible manner. Many marinas on LBI have free dump stations for emptying portable toilets. Pumpout boats also make it convenient for boaters to empty their holding tanks responsibly. There is no charge for these services. For more information, see the Resources chapter.

Trash is the most visible pollution in our waters. Designate a storage area on your boat specifically for trash, and regularly take the trash to shore for proper disposal. Beer cans, styrofoam cups, plastic bags, fishing line fragments, and other debris can trap, injure, and kill aquatic life and birds. Most of this debris doesn’t disintegrate; rather, it remains in the water for years and continues to kill wildlife, foul propellers, and clog engine-cooling water intakes. It is illegal to dispose of trash in the water. Call the Coast Guard if you see any boat, commercial or recreational, dumping plastics or other trash overboard.

The Clean Marina programs help to reduce pollution in our coastal waters by encouraging environmentally friendly marina and boating practices. The Clean Marina Initiative is a voluntary program that encourages marina operators and recreational boaters to 50 protect coastal water quality by engaging in environmentally sound operating and maintenance procedures. Clean Marina programs offer information, guidance, and technical assistance to recreational boaters, marina operators, and local governments on Best Management Practices that can be used to prevent or reduce pollution. Marinas that participate in the Clean Marina Program are recognized for their Look for this sign environmental stewardship. Please seek them out. For a list of pledged and certified Clean Marinas, see the New Jersey Clean Marina Program Guide at www.njcleanmarina.org.

To be a bay-friendly Boater

• Rinse and scrub your boat with fresh water. Do not use soap.

• Use ecofriendly stain cleaners and paints.

• Recycle your boat’s shrink-wrap plastic cover.

• Catch paint scrapings with a dropcloth.

• Don’t add detergent to bilge water. This is illegal.

• Capture floating surface oil with oil-absorbent pads.

• Don’t dump untreated sewage or trash into the water. This is illegal.

• Reduce wakes within 500 feet of the shore.

• Use a spill-proof gasoline container and avoid topping off gas tanks. Return unused gasoline on HHW collection day.

• Clean and flush your engine away from the water.

• Eliminate unnecessary idling, and limit engine operation at full throttle.

• Use a certified NJ Clean Marina.