9th District Delegation Urges Action On Waterway Navigation Aids After Crashes

TRENTON, NJ — New Jersey's 9th Legislative District delegation said it has asked state officials to take immediate action on navigation aids in the state's waterways.

The call came from Sen. Carmen Amato Jr., Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblyman Gregory Myhre, who said the issue affects both professional mariners and recreational boaters across New Jersey.

The delegation said they wrote to New Jersey Attorney General and the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection to press for action.

"Ensuring our state's waterways meet the highest safety standards is essential not only for professional mariners, but also for all recreational boaters who cherish our ocean and bays," the delegation said in a Facebook post.

The call for action comes after two recent Barnegat Bay fatal boat crashes. In both cases, the recreational boats crashed into Intracoastal Waterway channel markers, officials have said. Read more: 2 Boating Crashes, 3 Deaths In 6 Days At The Jersey Shore

Berkeley Township officials have also called for safer waterways.

"We're a maritime community, and we definitely need the waterways to be safer," Mayor John Bacchione said. Read more: Berkeley Township Officials Urge Safer Waterways After Fatal Boat Crash