A microscopic image of the mushroom-shaped silicone surface used in the experiment. Photo: Lars Heepe
For most of history, the only way to keep ship and boat hulls from fouling with barnacles was to put some sort of material toxic to marine growth on vessel hulls. Copper sheathing was one of the first effective, albeit costly, forms of antifouling. Copper and other sheathing worked well on wooden ships but caused galvanic corrosion of iron and steel vessels. The development of antifouling paint in the 20th century was a big step forward, although environmental concerns have been raised in recent decades over the toxicity of the coatings.
Scientists have recently been experimenting with textured coatings which make it difficult for barnacle larvae to attach themselves to the hull surface. The New York Times reports:
While many have been focused on the massive die-offs of fish and sea life off the South Florida coastline triggered by a combined outbreak of red tide and blue-green algae, all is not well along the New England coast either. An 
The grand matriarch of the Maine Windjammer fleet, the schooner 
On the 21st of January, 1973, the island of 
There have been several recent encounters between boats and whales. Fortunately, neither whale nor humans appear to have been injured. The most serious took place off the Jersey Shore.
The good news is that Hurricane Lane has been downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane. The bad news is that it is still heading straight for the Hawaiian islands. The storm’s outer bands have been pounding parts of Hawaii’s Big Island with rain Thursday morning, triggering landslides and threatening serious flooding. The hurricane is the first major cyclone to make landfall in the state in 26 years when 
In July 
The HMS Queen Elizabeth set sail yesterday from Portsmouth Naval Base bound for the United States. The 65,000-tonne carrier, the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy, will embark two US F-35B test aircraft to begin the first flight trials.