CNBNews

Reminder for the week: Avoid overloading your boat by checking capacity

DOVER DELAWARE (Dec. 24, 2014) – To achieve public compliance through education and enforcement actions that help conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources and ensure safe boating and public safety, DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife Enforcement Natural Resources Police officers between Dec. 15-21 made 569 contacts with anglers, hunters, boaters and the general public, including 33 vessel boardings for boating safety and fishing regulation compliance checks. Agents responded to 27 complaints and issued 14 citations, one of which was related to the C&D Canal Conservation Area and associated recreational trail, where there is an increased Fish & Wildlife Enforcement presence.

Citations issued by offense type included the following, with the number of charges in parentheses:

Wildlife Conservation: Unlicensed hunting (2)*, New Castle and Sussex counties; Failure to tag antlerless deer (1), hunting white-tailed deer during a closed season (1), hunting in a closed area on a state wildlife area (1), trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area (2), setting illegal leg hold traps (3), and setting traps without required permanent tag (3), Kent County.

Public Safety: Failure to display required hunter orange during a firearms deer season (1), Sussex County.

* One citation for unlicensed hunting was issued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area.

Are you AWARE?

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife Enforcement Section reminds boaters to check maximum weight/numbers of persons listed on the capacity plate of vessels before heading out on Delaware’s waterways. The capacity plate includes the maximum number and weight of persons on board, the maximum carrying weight of the boat and the maximum horsepower recommended for the boat. 

“Because passengers move around and can cause an overloaded vessel to become unstable and capsize, boat owners/operators should make sure the weight of passengers and gear is at or preferably below capacity,” said Cpl. John McDerby, Fish & Wildlife Enforcement. “This consideration is important year-round, but in the winter, boaters who capsize their vessels face the added threat of cold water, which can cause hypothermia and even death very quickly.”

For more information on safe boating practices in Delaware, including Delaware’s boating safety education courses, please visit Delaware_Boating_Safetyon the Division of Fish & Wildlife website.

The DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife recognizes and thanks the majority of anglers, hunters and boaters who comply with and support Delaware’s fishing, hunting and boating laws and regulations. Citizens are encouraged to report fish and wildlife and boating violations to the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Enforcement Section by calling 302-739-4580. Wildlife violations may also be reported anonymously to Operation Game Theft by calling 800-292-3030 or online at www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Hunting/Pages/OpGameTheft.aspx.