Protecting our oceans when boating is crucial for conserving biodiversity, promoting sustainable resource management, and regulating climate. As maritime enthusiasts, it is our responsibility to minimise our impact on the oceans and ensure their health and resilience for current and future generations.
Here are a few ways you can do your part in conserving our incredible oceans:
- Make the switch to environmentally friendly cleaning products: When cleaning your boat, choose environmentally friendly products that are non-toxic for marine life and do not contribute to water pollution. Or better yet, make your own cleaning products!
- Follow speed limits and navigation rules: This is imperative to avoid damaging sensitive marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs and seagrass beds. Be most cautious when navigating in shallow areas to prevent grounding or damaging marine habitats.
- Be mindful of wildlife: Avoid disturbing or feeding marine wildlife and maintain a safe distance from these animals. Feeding wildlife disrupts their natural behaviours and can contribute to a dependence on human food, which can harm their health and survival rate.
- Practice sustainable fishing: This absolutely cannot be stressed enough – Marine life are the organs of our ocean. It is imperative to adhere to catch limits, use barbless hooks, avoid destructive fishing gear, and release non-target species.
- Dispose of waste correctly: This may be a no brainer, but it is still an incredibly important point to make, and I’m sure you can all agree!
Remember, the health of our oceans is essential to the overall health of our planet.
Happy environmentally friendly boating!
It is also Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday 3rd March and it’s not too late to register! It’s a wonderful opportunity to get out as a community, clean up your local area and raise awareness. If you’d like to hear more about how else we can help to clean up Australia – click here.
