Marine Biofouling

Marine biofuling organisms can affect boats in variety of ways.

3 min read

Marine Fouling Organisms and Their Effects on Boats

This article will cover the topics of what biofouling is, what marine biofouling organisms are, how they affect boats, and what the ways of biofouling prevention are.

What is Marine Biofouling?

Marine biofouling is the process ofunwanted organic materials such as bacteria, algae, barnacles, mussels,tubeworms, etc., adhering to certain surfaces submerged in water like shiphulls, boats, ropes, renewable energy structures, and similar materials. Althoughit is generally known to form on ship hulls, this process fundamentally occursanywhere in contact with water, such as water inlets, pipe works, and ponds.

The process of marine biofouling takesplace in four stages: At the first stage, bacterial and organic materialpresent in the water forms a conditioning film around the submerged solid surfaceby attaching to the surface; at the second stage, a biofilm forms consisting ofmicrobial communities attaching to the conditioning film; at the third stage invertebratesand their larvae colonize the biofilm; and in the last stage a complexcommunity of larger animals and organisms is formed over the surface. Since acoat of living organisms forms on immersed surfaces or inside parts ofsubmerged materials, this phenomenon can lead to reduced performance of systems,watercraft, or devices used in waterborne activities due to the unwantedconditions it creates.

What are The Most Common Marine Fouling Organisms?

There are several various biofoulingorganisms, which can be categorized into two main headings: microfoulingorganisms and macrofouling organisms. As the name suggests, while the formerconsists of much smaller structures, such as the formation of conditioning filmand biofilm, bacteria, and other organisms, the latter is the accumulation of largeranimals/organisms. These organisms can be separated into two subcategories aswell. Soft-fouling organisms and hard-fouling organisms.

Soft (Non-Calcareous) Fouling Organisms

These organisms are the first to cover asolid surface, forming a slime-like film, almost for the other organisms tohold onto.

Biofilm

Biofilm is a community of bacteria and microbialstructures formed via the adhesion of dissolved organisms in water onto a solidsurface. These microbial structures hold each other with a glue-like matter,enabling the formation of an ecosystem.

Algae

Algae can attach to any surface very fast,whether human-made or natural, creating a soft and slimy coating.

Hydroids

Hydroids are jellyfish-like animalsattached to the solid surfaces covered with biofilm, contributing to the enlargementof fouling organisms.

Hard (Calcareous) Fouling Organisms

These organisms, consisting mostly ofinvertebrate animals, colonize the ecosystem built on surfaces. They are mostlylarger organisms with hard shells and more durability.

Barnacles

Barnacles are shelled creatures thatattach themselves to surfaces permanently. They are crustaceans; they are relatedto crabs and lobsters. They can adhere to other animals. To feed themselves,they extend their arm-like structure and catch microscopic organisms in the water.

Mussels

Mussels are hard-shelled animals that can infesthard surfaces as well. Once they are attached to surfaces, they are very hardto remove; therefore, it is a costly process to clean them. These animalsproduce rapidly, causing even larger damage on the surface they are attached toor to the entire ecosystem they are a part of.

Bryozoans

These invertebrates form mossy and largecolonies. They filter out the microorganisms in the water and feed on those.

Tube Worms

Tube worms are sessile organisms, meaningthey are sedentary creatures that attach to solid surfaces, creating atube-like structure rich in minerals around them, which can be as hard as arock. Their structure can make the removal process of these biofouling organisms challenging.