The potential on N-vanillylnonanamide (NVN) in preventing the attachment of Pseudomonas stutzeri and a Bacillus cereus-group strain was investigated. NVN up to 852 mu M was not toxic, nor was it an energy source for either organism. Microbial attachment assays were carried out on glass and polylysine slides. with NVN being dispersed in or applied to the surfaces using a polyurethane coating. NVN at 205 mu M inhibited Bacillus adhesion on glass slides by 48% and the percentage did not significantly increase at 852 mu M. NVN blended into or sprayed onto the coating at 205 mu mol/kg did not prevent adhesion. The compound is therefore not useful as an antifouling product under the tested coating conditions.