Testing the relative effectiveness of traditional and non-traditional antifouling substrates on barnacle and macroalgae settlement

Due to economic impacts, there is considerable interest in determining effective methods for limiting the attachment of marine invertebrates to submerged materials. We tested the effectiveness of traditional and non-traditional coatings on materials used for boat construction to limit the settlement of barnacles and macroalgae. Substrates included fibreglass, fibreglass coated with wax, aluminium, aluminium coated with antifouling paint, aluminium coated with Vaseline (R), and aluminium coated with Vaseline (R) mixed with cayenne pepper. Tiles of each substrate were attached to frames, placed at two sites in the Intracoastal Waterway near Jacksonville, Florida, and collected after one or two successive months in the field. Barnacles as well as macroalgae showed significantly greater settlement on fibreglass than aluminium. Each type of coating tested reduced settlement relative to controls, with the lowest overall settlement of barnacles being observed on aluminium coated with Vaseline (R), both with and without the addition of cayenne pepper.