With another successful Ocean City Boat Show fresh in our minds from last weekend, a few tips about being a nature friendly skipper are in order.

Without clean water it's tough to enjoy fishing, sailing, waterskiing or any boating activity. But the health of the bays are up to us. We can make our trips safer, more enjoyable, and better for the bays by doing your best to stick to the following:

• Be especially careful with plastic wraps, cigarette butts, and fishing line which kill marine mammals, turtles, and birds. Half of dolphin and turtle strandings are from ingestion of these products.
• Don't top off your gas tank when refueling. Small amounts of oil or gas can pollute hundreds of gallons of water.
• Slow down to reduce boat wake within 150 feet of shore. Wake erodes shorelines and disturbs wildlife.
• Place a bilge sock (an oil-absorbing sponge) in your bilge to remove oil and place drip pans under engine and fuel lines whenever possible (Call Coastal Bays at 410-213-2297 for a free sock).
• Clean your boat with as little detergent as possible. Use phosphate-free, biodegradable and non-toxic cleaners. Avoid rinsing directly into the bays.
• Discharge tank waste at pump-out stations only or use restrooms on shore (if you can hold it).
• Do not throw fish waste into marina waters. Discard organic waste in the trash
• Report suspicious or illegal activity to the DNR Natural Resources Police at 410-548-7070.
• Keep your prop out of seagrass beds and do not rapidly accelerate in shallow areas. This kills seagrasses which are vital to juvenile fish, clams, and crabs.
• Avoid Jetskiing in quiet, secluded areas. They are the only place left for wildlife to seek refuge. Never Jetski in less than 18 inches of water.
• Please obey fishing and crabbing regulations. There are $500 fines for undersized specimens.
• Besides Assateague, never walk on bay islands, especially Skimmer Island just north of the Route 50 bridge. Most permanent bay islands are nesting colonies for gulls, egrets, herons, sandpipers, terns, pelicans, and oyster catchers. Just one step on the island will force many of these species to permanently abandon their nests. Seagulls will also eat their young when off
• the nest for only a few seconds

Part of the National Estuary Program, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program is a cooperative effort between Worcester County, Berlin, and Ocean City which have come together to produce the first ever management plan for their bays. Home    |    About Us    |    Contact Us    |    Site Directory Copyright 2003 - Maryland Coastal Bays Program Questions? Email: mcbp@mdcoastalbays.org