Fishing versus Boating
By Cheryl Morrison
In the United States alone over 70 million people enjoy boating and 40 million enjoy fishing and both of these pastimes contribute significantly to the economy through millions of jobs, purchases of equipment, state tax revenues and tourism. Generally, fishing goes hand in hand with boating, but what happens when boating interferes with fishing?
This is what happens when boats are not maintained. Just last month at Smith Mountain Lake a dilapidated, 50 foot houseboat sank into the waters of Hickory Cove and this wasn’t the first incident. In the last few years, there has been a rise of boats sinking, creating havoc on the environment and safety of other boats, fishermen and naturalists.
In some reservoirs, it is against the law to run a motor boat for fear of polluting drinking water, so laws help keep these lakes pristine and safe. A clean safe waterway means lots of healthy fish and little toxins when eating fish caught in these waters. But for many lakes, boats with motors can cause major problems. Motors on boats can spew gas, oil and other chemicals into the water causing a serious pollution problem. A relic boat can pose even a more serious problem. Karl Martin of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said the houseboat that had sunk last month had sunk more than once, when the owner stored it across the main channel from Hickory Cove. “A lot of aging boats are not being properly maintained. They’re usually cabin cruisers or houseboats that are sinking, because they are not easily removed for repair.” Martin also said, that boats left at the docks to disintegrate end up polluting the lake by leaking oil, gas and other substances. After these sink, they can also pose a problem for other boaters, fishermen, swimmers, jet skis and water skiers by becoming large, unseen underwater obstructions that create navigational hazards, endangering and impeding all others using the waterways. After last month’s incident, authorities took notice of several other large, old boats needing repairs and because of this, action will now be taken if these boats are not repaired or removed. The Virginia Department of Fish and Game have decided to serve owners of these dilapidated boats with a hefty fine and even jail time. “We’re strongly enforcing this law.” Martin said. The offense is considered a special misdemeanor carrying up to a $500 per day fine for each day the boat remains in the water and up to one year in prison for each day the boat is not removed. The owner of the houseboat that sank last month was charged with polluting the waters.
Many times on dilapidated boats the bilge pumps no longer works and that with an accumulation of heavy rain can send an old boat sinking. Cabin cruisers and houseboats seem to sink more often due to their enormous weight and size, but fiberglass boats without proper maintenance of their gel coat can also sink. The larger the boat, the more difficult it is to repair. Runabout boats can be moved easily by a pick-up truck and trailer, but these 40-50 foot crafts need a crane to lift them out of the water to be placed on a flatbed truck. To make matters worse these big albatrosses can be a nightmare for storage. All this can become very costly to owners and that is why they avoid repairing them in the first place and eventually over time they sink.
You figure a home that was built in the 1960’s needs repairs, so would a craft built 40 plus years ago, Martin said. Regular maintenance is important or an owner can be up against mounting fines, jail time and the cost of removing the old relic.
When a boat sinks in the Smith Mountain Lake, the Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire Department is faced with the burden of fuel containment as well as floating the submerged boat. In more recent years, the fire department has had numerous calls regarding unattended crafts. These boats leak fuel which leads to fish kills. Currently, two counties have also been depending on Smith Mountain Lake for drinking water with these sinking boats there is a serious possibility of polluting.
Not only do these boats cause pollution and safety issues it also costs a lot of money and time to raise them from the waters. In a typical case, it usually takes about eight hours and ten people (who take off from their regular jobs) to help pull these relics out of the water. According to the fire department its estimated budget so far is a whooping $40,000 dollars which the fire department is paying for and many times owners are not contributing to.
In order to raise a large boat, firefighters surround it with hazardous materials boom to contain fuel leaks, divers then are needed to hook straps attached to airbags beneath its hull. As airbags are filled, the craft floats to the surface. Another owner of sunken boats had three sink, so far two have been removed and another is in the works of being removed. The fire department says the problem is no inspection is required for these boats like there is for cars, if there were, there wouldn’t be a problem like this. Unfortunately, there are many unseaworthy boats on Smith Mountain Lake, but authorities vow to keep this in check, so the waters stay healthy and so does fishing and tourism can thrive.
