Shoreline boom

A shoreline boom is a floating barrier — typically inflatable PVC or sectioned plastic with a skirt extending below the waterline — deployed along a private shoreline or dock to catch drifting floating vegetation (hyacinth, lettuce, salvinia mats) before it accumulates against the property. Booms do not remove vegetation; they concentrate it for easier mechanical removal. Standard equipment for private lakefront on Florida lakes with prevailing-wind drift problems.