Stolpe
Nils E.
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The environmental impacts of boating : proceedings of a workshop held at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA USA, December 7 to 9, 1994
Stolpe
Nils E.
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Technical Report
Substantiated impacts of boating activity discussed at this workshop include: sediment and contaminant
resuspension and resultant turbidity; laceration of aquatic vegetation with loss of faunal habitat and
substrate stabilty; toxic effects of chemical emissions of boat engines; increased turbulence; shearing of
plankton; shorebird disturbance; and the biological effects of chemically treated wood used in dock and
bulkhead construction. These discussions revealed that many of the issues of concern remain inadequately
defined and described. But sufficient hard data was referred to or presented to substantiate the inference
that recreational and commercial motor boat operation is far from a benign influence on aquatic and marine
environments. This is particularly so in temperate climates due to the unfortunate synchrony, with only a
few exceptions, between the peak seasons for boating and the occurence of planktonic embryonic and larval
stages of vertebrates and invertebrates in estuaries and coastal waters. Therefore, the chance of plants and
organisms being afected by power boat operation appears to be substantial in shallow, heavily used boating
areas such as those along the entire U.S. eastern and Gulf coasts. As such, motor boat operation should be
conducted and managed in such a manner as to minimize those impacts.