One of the many benefits of Monterey boating is experiencing all the beauty our natural world has to offer us. It is our job as boaters to help protect and conserve our natural world by the practices of Green Boating. Listed below are just a few of the many things we can do to help prevent pollution and damage to our natural world and the species that live there:
1) Contain Trash
An important part of becoming a Green Boater is learning how to contain trash to the inside of the boat. Never throw trash, fishing line or cigarette butts into the water. Trash items that get thrown or blown out of the boat become hazardous to the surrounding environment, birds and marine species. A preventative measure you can take is to buy products that do not contain any plastic or excess packaging. It’s also a good idea to designate a trash container on the boat. Feel like lending an extra hand to the environment? Pick up any trash you see floating out in the water throughout the day.
2) When Possible Clean the Boat Out of the Water
Many of the products used to wash and clean boat hulls and decks consist of toxic ingredients such as chlorine, phosphates and ammonia. These ingredients are incredibly harmful to fish as they dry the natural oils needed for their gills to absorb oxygen. If possible save your boat cleaning for off the water locations. If you must clean the boat on the water try purchasing environmentally friendly, bio degradable cleaning products. Make sure to cross check these items with your boats manual of approved cleaning products.
3) Chart Your Course
Pre-charting a boating course allows you to have a better understanding of the local waterways thus allowing for the prevention of damage to fragile sea floor habitats or injury to marine life by boat propellers. In 2011, The Florida Wildlife Conservation reported 100 watercraft related manatee deaths. Another benefit of pre-charting a boating trip is that it allows for minimal misdirection and the conservation of the boats fuel supply.
Recycling glass, plastic, aluminum and paper products ensures the cleanliness of our waterways as well the preservation of our landfills. Many marinas now offer recycling programs at their facilities for boaters to use after a day out on the water. It’s also important to dispose of batteries, antifreeze, oil and cleaning products along with other hazardous waste materials at appropriate waste management facilities rather than disposing of them into the water or a trashcan. You can also further protect marine life by the recycling of fishing line made from monofilament. A list of monofilament recycling programs can be found on the internet.
5) Prevention of Exotic Plant and Sea Life into other Waterways
Exotic plant and sea life may become attached to boats and their trailers allowing them to accidentally be introduced to new, foreign waterways. When these species are introduced they spread quickly which makes them difficult and costly to eradicate. These species are extremely harmful to the native waterway species as they block out or prevent them from receiving the nutrients needed for survival. To prevent the spreading of these exotic species you should avoid hacking through vegetation with your boats outboard motor propellers as well as by checking the boat, trailer, dive and fishing gear for exotic species.
We hope you find these Green Boating tips as useful and informative as we did! Remember to place these great tips into action the next time you take your Monterey Boat out on the water!