The ocean’s cleanliness must start at home

Ahoy.

The oil tanker, American Trader, made huge headlines when her hull

was ruptured while anchoring offshore Huntington Beach and thousands

of gallons of oil leaked out the fissure, threatening our local

shorelines. The ship’s owners paid millions of dollars in cleanup and

fines, and fortunately the spill did not duplicate the Exxon Valdez’s

spill effects in Alaska. It is easy to place all the ocean’s

petroleum pollution problems on the tankers and offshore drilling,

but we need to first look very closely at ourselves.

Annually, nearly 85% of the 29-million gallons of petroleum that

enter North American ocean waters is the result of human activities,

reports the National Research Council of the National Academies. A

study was sponsored by the U.S. Minerals Management Service, U.S.

Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, American Petroleum Institute and the

National Ocean Industries Assn. that showed less than 8% is from

tankers and spills from pipelines.

The report concludes that it is the consumers of oil who are

responsible for oil in waters through land-based runoff, polluted

rivers, airplanes and small boats and jet skis.

The marine engine manufacturers and the Jet Ski industry are both

aggressively promoting their new environmentally regulated marine

four-stroke engines, replacing the older technology of the two-stroke

engines found in jet skis and outboards. Additionally, I wonder about

the amount of fuel that is legally dumped from the military and

commercial jets while in flight over the ocean. Even in an emergency,

a vessel is never allowed to release petroleum into the waters, yet

it is acceptable to dump from the air.

The nightly news clips of seabirds swimming in oily water usually

get the most attention, but the study points the finger directly at

the landlubbers who are the worst offenders, harming our waterways

with oil runoff from their cars and trucks and the development of

more roads and paved areas. It is easy to look the other way and

thinking “ah, this one time will not matter,” but the 2000 census

reports that there are more than 2.8 million people living in Orange

County (2.8 million times x equals y).

When the topic of harbor or ocean pollution comes to the forefront

at most meetings, usually the first accusations are directed toward

the boaters. I think a couple of reasons account for this thought

process.

First, boaters are an easy target to point the finger at as an

identifiable source and boaters are unrepresented at most meetings

where there are many personal agendas. Secondly, lack of public

education to the existing laws governing boaters that are more

stringent than the laws shore side. Remember, all the inland waters

and 3 miles off any coastline are classified as a no discharge area.

That basically translates that nothing goes overboard into the water

from a vessel. Yet, storm drains discharge into the harbors and ocean

thousands of gallons a day with many people’s mentality being out of

sight and out of mind.

I am very supportive of the existing boater regulations, yet I

have been at meetings where a few wanted more regulations, inferring

once again it is the boaters causing all the pollution.

Then I think we need to expand the regulations to include all

water activities such as swimming, surfing and kayaking into the

Marine Pollution Act that governs boaters. Imagine a summer weekend

with 100,000 beach-goers who casually wade out in the water when

nature calls, and we have all seen a person lying sideways over a

kayak only up to their waist in the water. Logic dictates that

kayakers and surfers should be required to wear waterproof diapers

while enjoying their activities.

OK, I have been in the sun too long today, but listen to the

studies and don’t be quick to point your finger at the boaters. There

are areas such as those off Santa Barbara that have natural seepage

of oil into the ocean that account for a small piece of the equation.

As I sign off, who is taking bets on how long it will be until the

ducks return to the Grand Canal? I bet the quacking will return

before the end of the month.

Safe voyages.

* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist.

Send him your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story

suggestions via e-mail to [email protected] or BoathouseTV.com.