Boat Slips Research Articles

Assessing occupancy of freshwater fishes in urban boat slips of Toronto Harbour

Hardening of natural shorelines in urban aquatic ecosystems can result in a loss of fish habitat and productivity. The north shore of Toronto Harbour (Lake Ontario) has been converted to hardened boat slips for commercial, industrial and recreational purposes, but its potential utility as fish habitat has not been evaluated. The objective of this study was to determine whether fish frequented and utilized four slips in the Inner Harbour of Toronto. Two western boat slips are adjacent to some natural features and have undergone some rehabilitation to increase the complexity of aquatic habitat (i.e. addition of large substrate, overhead cover, and in-water structure). In contrast, the two eastern slips are deeper and more influenced by the turbid Don River. We assessed the timing and duration of occupancy within all four slips for seven fish species using acoustic telemetry. In just under a year, tagged fishes spent a limited amount of time in any one slip. However, there was evidence for increased use at the two western slips by Northern Pike (Esox lucius) in spring, which is likely linked to the proximity of these slips to a known spawning area. Overall, there was no reliable evidence that the majority of the seven adult fish species evaluated frequented either the western or eastern slips. Despite efforts to track and tag a variety of species, insufficient detections prevented a detailed assessment of habitat selection for the majority of species of interest. A more detailed study of the spatial ecology of these fishes is therefore needed to understand the scale of their habitat use and inform the design of habitat rehabilitation projects for hardened shorelines.

漁港内にある緩傾斜帯「船揚場スロープ」における魚類の出現特性

漁港内にある緩傾斜帯「船揚場スロープ」における魚類の出現特性

Temperature Impact of the Industrial Cooling Water Discharges in a Long Boat Slip of Hamilton Harbour

Abstract The thermal structure of industrial cooling water discharged into a long, narrow and shallow, straight open boat slip (Ottawa Street Slip, [OSS]) was investigated by field measurements during the hottest summer month in 2006. Three-dimensional hydrodynamic and thermal transport models were established and verified with measurements. The main purposes of this study were to understand the mechanism of the thermal structure in the OSS during the hot summer season under the present cooling water discharge conditions, to investigate the influence of harbour water on the thermal structure in the slip, and to establish a means for scientific predictions of the impact of cooling water discharges in a future study. Toward this end, the water temperature at multiple locations along the OSS and meteorological data near the study site were collected during the summer period of 2006. The collected data reveal: (1) during the measured summer period, the water temperature in the slip can be higher than 30°C during a period of high air temperatures; (2) water temperature variations within short periods of 15, 30, 60, and 120 minutes were no more than 4°C during the entire measurement period; (3) water temperature in the slip is controlled by both air and cooling discharge temperatures, and the cooling water temperature's increase due to industrial cooling processing seems to be relatively independent of the intake water temperature; therefore, the water temperature in the slip varied mainly with the air temperature; (4) since water temperature in the slip seemed to closely follow the intake water temperature, the intake channel may need to be optimized to maximize the possibility of getting the coolest water available from Hamilton Harbour; and (5) the cooler harbour water could not penetrate deeply into the slip. The collected water temperature data were also used for verification of three-dimensional hydrodynamic and transport models. The simulation results showed that the established model could reasonably well reproduce general thermal structures in the entire slip. This achieved the ultimate goal of the study for establishing a model to assess the impacts of further increase of cooling water discharge into the OSS.

Creosote Contamination in Sediments of the Grey Owl Marina in Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada

The rate at which creosote-treated pilings release polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the environment should diminish with structure age and weathering, and so, it may be assumed that PAH concentrations in the vicinity of old structures (>30 years) may approach background levels. However, this may not be true in cold environments where PAH release and degradation rates are slow and where pilings continue to experience significant physical damage. Moreover, PAHs will remain high in the vicinity of pilings if current and wave action is insufficient to disperse and dilute PAHs over a wider area and/or where PAHs do not become diluted and buried by uncontaminated sediments. This is demonstrated in our investigation of the sediments of the Grey Owl Marina, located in Prince Albert National Park, in central Saskatchewan, Canada. The marina, constructed in the early 1960s, consists of six piers and is protected from strong wave action by a breakwater. PAH concentrations were high in sediments collected under the piers and inside the boat slips, exceeding probable effect levels for several compounds. Various lines of physical and chemical evidence pointed to creosote as being the primary PAH source with a mixture of relatively undegraded and weathered PAHs being present. PAH concentrations decreased rapidly 2 m and further away from the pilings as a result of dilution with increasing dispersal over a broadening area. There was evidence of benthic community impairment, with total abundances negatively correlated with PAH concentrations. According to the Methods for Ranking Contaminated Aquatic Sites on Canadian Federal Properties, areas with the highest hazard scores were under the piers and inside the boat slips, while areas with the lowest hazard scores were >10 m from the pilings. Therefore, remedial actions based on piling and contaminated sediment removal may need to be conducted over only a small area, i.e., within 2 m of the pilings.

The Inner Islands: A Carolinian’s Sound Country Chronicle (review)

Reviewed by: The Inner Islands: A Carolinian’s Sound Country Chronicle Heather Ward The Inner Islands: A Carolinian’s Sound Country Chronicle. Bland Simpson, photography by Ann Cary Simpson. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC, 2006. 219 pp., maps, bibliographical references and index. $34.95 hardcover (ISBN-13: 978-0-8078-3056-7) “Liminal” is a familiar adjective to many coastal geographers. The word suggests “an elusive, sensually-rich threshold between two different places or states, ambiguous and indeterminate.” The “inner islands” Bland Simpson explores in this Down East travelogue could not be more liminal in space and time. Many sit mere inches above the surface of the water, their shapes shifting with incoming hurricanes and nor’easters, simultaneously threatened by rising sea levels and real estate development. Likewise, Simpson’s writing transcends genres and periods, at once autobiography, regional oral history, poetry, and modern ecological investigation. “These inner islands are not rocks, nor metals hammered hard at Vulcan’s smithy and made final for all time—they are simply mud and sands, or shells, or swamps, massed for moments mere. We may stand and stride upon them and take their measure, feel the brevity of their moments (how like our own), and perhaps feel too some sense of kinship between animate and inanimate, the kinship of all ephemera” (p. 188). Simpson carries the reader through coastal North Carolina from Currituck County in the northeast, south through Pamlico Sound and inside Cape Lookout, and to the mouth of the Cape Fear River in Brunswick County. Each of his 15 chapters celebrates one small island and its inhabitants, some well known like Harkers Island, others, like Battery Island off South-port, accessible only to nesting ibises, herons and egrets. Four maps in the back of the book possess enough detail to clarify locations without distracting from the narrative. Simpson sources his stories and acknowledges the many voices that contributed to his work in an appendix—a treasure trove for additional reading and coastal stewardship contacts. Coastal geographers will appreciate these essays because Simpson, a native of Pasquotank County, North Carolina, and creative writing professor at UNC Chapel [End Page 129] Hill, treats each island and essay as a mixture of human and natural history, seamlessly mingling people with their places and facing the resulting tension with grace. In the Permuda Island essay, for example, Simpson introduces the reader to several families of oyster gardeners. Generous quotes from the Swartzenbergs and Bernice Rice describe shellfish waters and oyster salinity preferences, proliferating yachts and development pressures, barbecue, conservation efforts, and personal tragedy. These essays border on ethnography, capturing Down East culture, even as it disappears into gentrified communities with private boat slips rather than working waterfronts. The Inner Islands and an earlier companion book Into the Sound Country (Simpson 1997) should be required reading for Down East transplants eager to understand barrier island dynamics, both ecological and political. In a chapter titled “The Curritucks,” Simpson eases the reader into an appreciation of the region’s hurricane and nor’easter history. Barrier islands and back sounds depend on hurricanes to cut inlets that replenish sands on their landward side. The islands are designed to roll over themselves landward as sea levels rise, then move seaward as ocean levels fall. Rescue parties plucked Knotts Island hurricane survivors “from the garret of a house . . . found anchored, afloat, and tied to live oak treetops” (p. 41). Coastal newcomers weary of complaints by long time residents that rising property taxes are forcing them to move inland may feel more sympathetic after reading Simpson’s story about Yankee gunners in the same chapter. Market gunning for abundant waterfowl proved big business toward the end of the nineteenth century, but Northern steel and publishing money controlled the best shooting grounds. Legendary hunting clubs decimated waterfowl populations, reducing native islanders to subsistence or “pot” hunting. The parallels to modern development pressures and attitudes toward rural folk are understated, but undeniable. Native North Carolinians and historians will appreciate the depth and details of Simpson’s history. The Lower Purchace Iles lie where the Cashie, Roanoke and Middle rivers meet the Albemarle Sound. Who knew they had names—Wood, Good...

Environmental Forensics Investigation in Sediments near a Former Manufactured Gas Plant Site

An investigation of lakebed sediment found elevated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels, and a nearby former manufactured gas plant (MGP) site was identified as the most likely source. Forensic chemistry or “chemical fingerprinting” was conducted on sediment samples from a boat slip in the vicinity of the MGP and on-shore soil samples from the MGP property in order to determine whether or not the former MGP was the origin of the PAHs found in the sediment. An analysis of the data from gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC/FID) and mass spectrometry (GC/MS) suggested that the PAH distributions measured in the sediment samples were similar to those measured in samples of tarry soil from the former MGP site. However, because of the urban and industrial land use surrounding the former MGP site, it was also possible that there was a PAH contribution to the sediments from urban runoff or other industrial and municipal discharges. The compound-specific isotope ratios (CSIRs) of carbon in PAHs obtained using a gas chromatograph with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (GC/IRMS) showed that the CSIRs of the sediment samples were not the same as those of the former MGP site soil samples. The results suggested that the sediment samples most likely contained hydrocarbons from a mixture of sources. Therefore, at least some of the PAH content in the sediments was from a source other than the MGP.

Characterization and Mapping of Contaminated Sediments, Windermere Arm, Hamilton Harbour, Ontario, Canada

Windermere Arm is a 50-ha narrow channel located in the south-eastern portion of Hamilton Harbour, which is designated by the International Joint Commission (IJC) as one of the primary Areas of Concern in the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes. Sediments within the Arm have historically been contaminated with metals, PAHs, and to a lesser extent, PCBs. Sedimentological, geotechnical and geochemical investigations have been undertaken to determine the degree and the spatial extent of contamination. The thickness of contaminated sediment and their degree of contamination vary widely within the study site. Information on the thickness of contamination obtained from logging and chemical analysis of sediment cores agrees in general with the results of in situ penetrometer testing. Concentrations of Zn and Pb in some sub-samples are above the Severe Effect Level (SEL) for benthos set by the Ontario sediment quality guidelines. On average, surficial sediments tend to have lower metal concentrations than deeper sediments, probably due to the reduction of industrial point discharges. Apart from the two main boat slips, concentrations of PAHs are relatively low and in agreement with previously reported values. In contrast, new results yield higher values of PCB concentrations than previously reported, and 21 sub-samples of surficial sediment analyzed yielded values greater than 1 μg/g. Results suggest that the majority of recent PCB loadings are entering the study site from nearshore industrial spills or dumping, despite the detection of trace amounts of PCBs in a nearby creek. Pronounced sediment disturbance noted in several cores suggests that more contaminated historical sediments are at risk of being disturbed and re-exposed to the water column.

Slurry-Phase Ozonation for Remediation of Sediments Contaminated by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of toxic, persistent, bioaccumulating organic compounds containing two or more fused aromatic rings. They are listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as priority pollutants because of their carcinogenicity and toxicity. Employing ozonation as a remediation technique, this work investigated the treatability of a sediment sample from a freshwater boat slip subjected to coal tar contamination over a long period. The contaminated sediment sample contained high levels of PAHs in the forms of naphthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo[a]pyrene, among other byproducts present in the humic and solid phases of the sediment. The objectives of this work were to examine (1) the degradation of PAHs in the contaminated sediment as treated by ozonation in the slurry form, (2) the effects of ozonation upon the soil matrix and the biodegradability of the resultant PAH intermediates, and (3) the feasibility of a combined technique using O3 as a pretreatment followed by biological degradation. The sediment was made into 3% w/w soil slurries and ozonated in a 1.7-L semi-batch, well-stirred reactor equipped with pH control and a cold trap for the gaseous effluent. Samples were collected after different ozonation durations and tested for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), UV absorbance, and toxicity, along with quantitative and qualitative determinations of the parent and daughter intermediates using gas chromatography/flame ionization detection (GC/FID), GC/mass spectrometry (MS), and ion chromatography (IC) techniques. The GC/MS technique identified 16 compounds associated with the humic and solid phases of the sediment. Intermediates identified at different ozonation times suggested that the degradation of PAHs was initiated by an O3 attack resulting in ring cleavage, followed by the intermediates’ oxidation reactions with O3 and the concomitant OH. radical toward their mineralization. Results suggested that ozonation for 2 hr removed 50–100% of various PAHs in the solid and liquid phases (as well as the aqueous and gaseous media resulting from the treatment process) of the sediment sample and that organic and inorganic constituents of the sediment were also altered by ozonation. Measurements and comparisons of BOD, COD, UV absorbance, and toxicity of the samples further suggested that ozonation improved the bioavailability and biodegradability of the contaminants, despite the increased toxicity of the treatment effluent. An integrated chemical-biological system appeared to be feasible for treating recalcitrant compounds.

Influence of antecedent conditions on critical shear stress of bed sediments

Experiments were conducted in an annular flume using kaolinite clay and bed sediment collected within an industrial boat slip of Hamilton Harbour to assess their stability and transport characteristics. The critical shear stresses required to erode the sediment were measured under different conditions for bed formation. It was discovered that the way in which the bed deposited (i.e. deposited under quiescent conditions or under shear) had a strong influence on the stability of the bed. The critical shear stress for beds deposited under shear was up to eight times larger than that for beds deposited under quiescent conditions. The results suggest that modeling efforts which do not take into account the history of the bed formation may seriously underestimate the bed strength and as such, can result in erroneous predictions of sediment and contaminant source, fate and effect.

Incidental Catch of Sport Fish in Cast Nets Used to Collect Baitfish in Lake Texoma, Oklahoma–Texas

Cast nets are a popular and effective means of collecting gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum and threadfin shad D. petenense for use as bait. To evaluate the incidental catch of sport fish in cast nets, three sizes of cast nets (2.4-, 3.0-, and 3.7-m diameter) were fished twice per month, January–December 1990, in shallow-water (<3 m deep) and deepwater areas at six cove sites on Lake Texoma, Oklahoma–Texas. Additionally, 2.4-m-diameter nets were fished near (<10 m) and away from (≥10 m) each of six boathouses on the lake, Shad collectively accounted for 91% of the total catch at cove sites and 87% at boathouse sites, whereas sport-fish species (mostly centrarchids) accounted for 5 and 11% of the total, respectively. The numbers of sport fish collected at cove sites did not vary significantly with the size of the net, but were greatest in shallow-water areas. The numbers of sport fish collected at boathouse sites were greatest in the summer and near artificial structures (e.g., boat slips, piers). Public perception of the effects of' baitfish harvesting on sport-fish populations frequently generates calls for regulations. However, because the number of sport fish captured was small, and sport fish could be released with minimal handling stress, regulations did not appear to be necessary.

Seasonal variation of copper and zinc concentrations in the oyster Saccostrea cuccullata from the dampier archipelago, Western Australia: Implications for pollution monitoring

The intertidal rock oyster Saccostrea cuccullata, sampled at eight sites on eight occasions over a 1-year period, contained mean Cu and Zn concentrations ranging between 34 and 267 and 206 and 4078 mg kg −1 dry weight, respectively. In the study area, Cu and Zn emanate from sewage and boat slips (antifouling paints), while Zn probably also originates from coolant water from an electricity power generating station and iron ore exporting facilities. Highest oyster wet weight, Cu and Zn concentrations and loads occurred in January (spawning period), indicating that metal variation was not reciprocating wet weight. Lowest metal concentrations and loads occurred in October (period of onset of gametogenesis), while lowest wet weight occurred in April (post-spawning period). No significant ( P < 0.001) variation in the wet to dry weight ratio was noted temporally. However, significant, though slight, variation was noted between polluted and unpolluted oysters. Results of this study indicate that pollution control monitoring programs should consider: (i) seasonal variation of metal concentrations; (ii) portion of the year during which standards are exceeded; (iii) oyster size and availability for human consumption; (iv) suitability of standards where shellfish are not consumed as a staple diet; (v) appropriate size indices which can be used for selecting specimens for intersite comparisons; (vi) wet to dry weight calculations: techniques, spatial and temporal variations; and (vii) the physical dynamics of sites used.

Localized Plankton Blooms and Jubilees on the Gulf Coast

The writers describe various small types of plankton blooms such as those occurring in boat slips, the head of a large bayou and a strip type bloom of Chaetoceras on the Gulf beach. Oyster kills from “poison water” draining off of marshes are said to be caused by plankton bloom. Small “jubilees” are said to be caused by localized blooms and one of these is described as it occurred.

The Red Hand of Ulster

An old Irish legend tells of a boat race where the prize was the kingdom of Ulster and the victor was the first to "touch the shore." O'Neill, seeing his boat slip behind, cut off his hand, flung it ashore, and won the kingdom. Ulster, but for three counties, is now Northern Ireland. O'Neill's bloody hand has been preserved through the ages as the Red Hand of Ulster, seen on flags, postage stamps, pendants, and paramilitary banners. The passions that led O'Neill to bleed for Ulster have survived as well.When I arrived in Belfast in late June, the Red Hand was waving from Protestant doorways to herald the impending Orange Parades.

TOWARD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF RECREATIONAL BOATING IN THE ADIRONDACK LAKES REGION1

ABSTRACT: Results of a study to determine the relationship between physical characteristics of Adirondack lakes and variations in peak boat‐use intensity indicated that 69 percent of the variation in peak use can be accounted for by the number of public and commercial boat‐launching facilities per mile of lake shoreline. Other lake characteristics related to peak boat use were: the number of commercial overnight accommodations available, number of boat slips, lake size, and miles of lake shoreline. Lake characteristics not related to peak use were: accessibility, configuration, tent spaces available, surrounding landscape quality, volume of traffic and availability of other lakes. This information should provide recreation managers and planners with a better understanding of factors related to variation in peak boating‐use periods.

Notes on a Fall Migration at Matinicus Rock, Maine

MUCH attention has been given to Matinicus Rock in the Gulf of Maine because of its nesting colonies of petrels, puffins, gulls, and terns, but I am unable to find any recorded observations of the fall migration there. Because of its strategic position at the southeast corner of the island group off Penobscot Bay, it seemed surely indicated that brisk northwest winds would blow many land birds out to it. Ludlow Griscom had often spoken of the islet, and remarked on the probability of many stragglers touching on such an outlying spot. Spurred on by his encouragement I set about preparations for a stay on the Rock, first obtaining permission from the Coast Guard to live there in one of the small 'war surplus' (World War I) buildings. Ludlow Griscom, Josselyn Van Tyne, and the late Francis H. Allen were kind enough to read this manuscript and have made many valuable comments of which, together with their friendship and encouragement, I am most appreciative. Landing on the Rock is possible only in good weather, and then only by means of a boat slip on the west side, which is used principally by the Coast Guard. The lobstermen who tend their traps all about this area avoid the slip. A LIFE photographer lost all his gear and cameras in attempting a landing in 1948, and near the end of my stay one of the Coast Guard boys was drowned while attempting a landing. My observations extend from August 27 to September 11, 1949. Matinicus Rock is situated at Latitude 430 47' N. and Longitude 680 51.3' W., and is the southeasternmost of the Fox Islands off Penobscot Bay. It is 25 acres in total area, roughly egg-shaped, with the longest dimension northeast to southwest. The widest (also the highest) part is about three-quarters of the distance southwest from the northeast end. With the exception of a little turf on the north side, the islet is a bare rock ridge lifting out of the sea at the northeast end and gradually rising, until after reaching a height of 42 feet at the widest part it drops perhaps 5 to 8 feet for the last 50 yards, and then descends suddenly into the sea. The entire east side is precipitous. The north side shelves off more gradually, with various subsidiary ridges running northwest at right angles to the principal one. Between these smaller ridges are turf areas where the petrels and puffins nest. Also on the north side, and cut off at high tide,