Plans for virtual buoys to replace some markers outside harbors raised concerns – Orange County Register

Sea lions basking in the sun on red and white buoys are often the first sight of wildlife as boaters head offshore from the ports that dot the California coastline.

However, the buoys are not only a tourist attraction for viewing large marine mammals, but also serve as a navigational tool and iconic landmarks for vessels entering and exiting the waterway.

Now the U.S. Coast Guard is considering removing some buoys and replacing them with “virtual” navigation aids used with GPS, a system that has some boaters worried about the proposed change. And in Newport Beach and Santa Cruz, projects appear abandoned after community outcry in recent weeks.

“I feel like a lot of people have strong opinions, mostly in favor of keeping the buoys,” said Ryan Lawler, owner of Newport Coastal Adventure, which uses the one outside Newport Harbor to his sea excursions, but also as a long-time fisherman. navigation. “If something is there your whole life, you get used to it, and the idea of ​​it going away – that sucks.”

The Coast Guard proposal would replace the buoys with a virtual dot on an online map. The Coast Guard “regularly evaluates waterway risks and ways to leverage emerging technologies to effectively meet navigational safety needs,” officials said in a statement regarding the proposal.

In Newport Beach, social media posts about the proposed changes spread quickly and the Coast Guard appears to have changed course and removed the buoy from the removal list, which was published in recent weeks in a weekly notice to sailors. A letter from the Coast Guard that Lawler shared with the Register confirmed that due to public comments, “the buoy will remain in place.”

In Santa Cruz, groups formed to fight the proposed removal of their “Mile Buoy” and several news articles were written about opposition to the plan.

“It serves thousands of fishermen, sailing students, sail and power boaters, kayakers and paddleboarders,” reads a letter to the editor of the Santa Cruz Sentinel. “Mile Buoy serves as a reference point for water rescues directed from land. Even if you are not a boater, the buoy can be useful to you. This visual marker with its gentle foghorn and flashing light greets ships approaching Santa Cruz from offshore.

After hearing from the community, the Coast Guard made the decision to also leave the Santa Cruz buoy in place, according to a March 29 news release from the Coast Guard.

“This decision underscores our commitment to prioritizing safety while ensuring community voices are heard and considered,” Capt. Steven Ramassini, chief of the Coast Guard’s Navigation Systems Office, said in the press release. “The valuable feedback provided by the community greatly contributed to our overall understanding of the impacts associated with the proposed action. »

After an eight-week public comment period, Coast Guard officials said opinions from navigation system users and the community will be considered along with other analysis data to make a decision on how best to to proceed with the remaining proposed project.

In Newport Beach, indications that the buoy would stay in place were good news for Lawler and other boaters.

“From the moment I heard that the project was about to be cut to the moment I heard that they had canceled the project, it felt like a top priority for me,” Lawler said. “We couldn’t let this happen…we would have lost our buoys forever.” For us, this is not only an important security tool, but also a major milestone. A defining landmark for Newport Harbour.

On foggy days, the sound of the buoy helps guide boats to the entrance and some small boats, like kayaks or small aluminum fishing boats, may not have the advanced technology needed to find buoys. virtual,” he said.

Lawler also argued that trying to find a buoy marker on a screen distracted the boat driver’s eyes from the water.

Naturalist Daryth Morrissey, president of the American Cetacean Society, Orange County chapter, said her number one concern is sea lions if the Newport Harbor buoy disappears.

“There are very few places to get stranded,” she said. “It’s one of their favorite places. For whale or marine mammal watching cruises, it is almost certain that there will be sea lions on the buoy.