Screening for new actives against marine antifouling

Structures that are continuously submerged in water like hulls of ships become encrusted with a variety of aquatic organisms such as Balanus, Anomia, Enteromorpha, Hydroides and others. The attachment of these organisms causes economic damage in various ways attachment to the hulls of ships enhances fuel consumption and causes loss of profitable time because of the need to clean the hulls (Redfield and Hutchins, 1952 Scrip, 1984). 

For the primary antifouling screening, a barnacle assay is used in most cases. For this test, mass reared cyprid larvae of barnacle species like for example Balanus amphitrite are injected in dishes containing solutions of test compounds in seawater. After one hour, the settlement inhibition in regard to biodde-free controls is determined. 

Compounds with promising effects in this test system will be checked very often also for the inhibition of algae and other marine organisms (Houghton, 1984). Further steps will be incorporation in antifouling paints and raft tests. 

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