Impacts of recreational motorboats on fishes: A review

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 83; no. 1; pp. 24 - 31
• Main Authors: Whitfield, A.K., Becker, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 15.06.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Behavior, Animal; Biological and medical sciences; Boat traffic; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Degradation; Disturbance; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environmental Pollution; Fishes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Introduced Species; Invasives; Marine and brackish environment; Metals, Heavy; Paint; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; Plants; Pollution; Recreation; Sea water ecosystems; Ships; Synecology; Degradation; Boat traffic; Pollution; Invasives; Disturbance; Biological invasion; Perturbation; Recreational activity; Marine environment; Invasive species; Environmental monitoring; Boat; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.03.055

•Recreational motorboat traffic can have direct and indirect effects on fishes.•Direct hits by boats on fishes require further assessment and quantification.•Heavy metals and motorboat exhaust emissions influence fishes negatively.•Boat infrastructure and boat generated waves can impact aquatic habitats.•Recreational boats have been implicated in invasive species propagation. A considerable amount of research has been conducted on the impacts of recreational boating activities on fishes but little or no synthesis of the information has been undertaken. This review shows that motor boats impact on the biology and ecology of fishes but the effects vary according to the species and even particular size classes. Direct hits on fishes by propellers are an obvious impact but this aspect has been poorly documented. Alterations in the wave climate and water turbidity may also influence fishes and their habitats, especially submerged and emergent plant beds. Sound generated by boat motors can also influence the communication and behaviour of certain species. Pollution arising from fuel spillages, exhaust emissions and antifouling paints all have detrimental effects on fishes. Finally, the use of recreational boats as vectors of aquatic invasive organisms is very real and has created major problems to the ecology of aquatic systems.