Good Mate: Ocean and Waterway Conservation for Boaters

As a boater or marina operator, you are in a unique position to be a true steward of our ocean, lakes, and waterways, and Ocean Conservancy's Good Mate program gives you the know-how.

One community's actions, an ocean of difference.

Recreational boating means enjoying freedom and natural beauty out on the water - but stop and think for a minute, and you'll realize that the very nature of boating makes it a potential source for water pollution. The good news is that every boater and marina operator can take simple, practical steps to protect both the boating experience and the water. And by sharing what you learn from Good Mate with the greater boating community, you can bring even more people on board and truly start a sea change.

Good Mate outlines safe boating practices - practical steps you can use today. We break them down into six manageable categories. Click on the categories below to see tips for each. To order the Good Mate brochure or CD, please contact good-mate@oceanconservancy.org.

It's time to look beyond the bow.

You've seen the damage carelessness can inflict on rivers, lakes, and the ocean where you cruise. Pollution from litter, cleaning products, sewage, and oil/and fuel are among the threats that make the things boaters love to do on the water—swimming, fishing, watching wildlife—somehow less complete, less inspiring.

Putting Green Boating into Practice

Here's what people are saying about Good Mate:

The Dana Point Boaters Association in Dana Point, California, is an advocacy group for an area that is a playground for boating, kayaking, paddle-boating, surfing, and much more. Says association secretary Steve Carpenter:

We are very involved working with our county's harbor department to protect recreational boating within and around our beautiful harbor. I feel Good Mate can be a great asset for raising awareness and inspiring best practices to care for our harbor, coastline, ocean, and beaches.

Sheila Jones of North Carolina, who coordinates an annual event called the Wake County Big Sweep, handed out litter bags to 300 recreational boaters and fishermen. She filled the bags with educational items, and says,

A HUGE thank you to Ocean Conservancy for donating 300 Good Mate CDs to our boat litter bags! The CD was the best item in the bag, and one that we hope will educate boaters on how to be true stewards of our oceans, lakes, and waterways!

The US Coast Guard, the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the US Power Squadrons use Good Mate materials in their public outreach across the country. Robert Daley, Flotilla Commander with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary in Cleveland, Ohio, says participants in public education courses find the Good Mate information

interesting and throught-provoking, with good ideas to follow up on themselves - and to pass on to others.