Sure, grading antifouling paint panels probably doesn’t qualify for the television show "Dirty Jobs," but after 20-plus years of counting barnacles, one’s mind does wander toward a spring that doesn’t include resins, heavy metals, and solvents.

That is why this spring’s bottom paint report is so much more exciting than our previous reports. (Really, we promise.) The year 2010, you see, marks a significant shift toward environmentally-friendly bottom paints. …