Two New Laws for Paddlers

In case you haven't heard, New York State has just passed two new laws that paddlers should be aware of.

Here's the first:

Beginning November 1, 2009, Section 40, Subdivision 1 of the Navigation Law shall be amended by adding new paragraph (e), which reads as follows:

No owner or operator of a pleasure vessel less than twenty-one feet, including rowboats, canoes, and kayaks shall permit its operation, between November first and May first, unless each person on board such vessel is wearing a securely fastened United States Coast Guard approved wearable personal flotation device of an appropriate size when such vessel is underway.

And the second:

Beginning October 1, 2009, persons 16 years of age and older need to acquire a recreational marine fishing license if they are:

• fishing in the Marine and Coastal District or
• fishing any water (such as the Hudson River, Delaware River, or Mohawk River and their tributaries) where the angler is fishing for "migratory fish from the sea" (such as striped bass, American shad, hickory shad, blueback herring, alewife).

The Marine and Coastal District includes all the waters of the Atlantic Ocean within three nautical miles from the coast ands all other tidal waters within the state, including the Hudson River up to the Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge.

These licenses can be purchased from the DEC's website starting Oct. 1st.