The U.S. Coast Guard is proposing to remove hundreds of buoys on the Northern Atlantic Coast between the New York City metro area and the Maine-Canada border Credit: BoatUS
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SPRINGFIELD, Va., May 19, 2025 -- On April 15, the First Coast Guard District released an initiative proposing the removal of hundreds of navigational buoys, or Aids to Navigation (AtoNs). Buoys currently under review are located along the Northern Atlantic Coast between the New York City metro area and the Maine-Canada border. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is concerned that some of the buoys selected to be removed could negatively affect navigation safety and urges recreational boaters to speak up on the issue.

The Coast Guard states that the purpose of these proposed removals is “modernizing and rightsizing the buoy constellation,” given that most current AtoNs predate GPS and electronic charting technologies. The Coast Guard proposes that many of these buoys are no longer necessary and that fewer buoys to maintain will help reduce costs and divert maintenance efforts to the most critical buoys.

Some of the buoys proposed for removal are part of long, straight entrance channels – such as the commercial channels into New York Harbor – where removals would only increase the size of the gaps between existing buoys. Other proposed removals, however, include buoys in notoriously rocky and challenging bays and harbors, such as Pensobscot Bay in Maine and Woods Hole in Massachusetts.

Buoys subject to the proposed changes can be found by going to the Local Notice to Mariners interactive tool on the NAVCEN website, clicking the “layers” icon in the upper right corner of the map, and selecting the “Proposed Notice of Change” layer. Zoom in and click an individual buoy to see an information box with more details of the proposed change.

The Coast Guard is seeking public comment through June 13,^, 2025. “Because local AtoNs are primarily the concern of local boaters, it’s important they have their voice heard,” said BoatUS Manager of Government Affairs David Kennedy. “The Coast Guard is actively soliciting this local knowledge and requests that all comments include the size and type of vessel, how a particular buoy is used, and when you start looking for it in order to best process feedback.”

Comments may be submitted via email: D01-SMB-DPWPublicComments@uscg.mil.

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Coast Guard proposes removing hundreds of buoys along the Atlantic Coast from New York metro area to the Maine-Canada border. @BoatUS asks local boaters to review and speak up by June 13, 2025 https://bit.ly/4japu9s  #BoatUS #boatusonwatch #boatingsafety #safeboating #boatsafety  

About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):

Celebrating more than 55 years, BoatUS is the nation’s largest advocacy, services and safety group with more than 725,000 dues-paying members. BoatUS is the boat owners’ voice on Capitol Hill, fighting for their rights. The TowBoatUS^® fleet is available 24/7 to assist our members on the water when boats break down or run aground with some 600 vessels and 300-plus locations across North America, bringing our members safely back to the launch ramp, marina or dock. On the road, we are The Boat Owners Auto Club™, helping ensure roadside trailer and tow vehicle breakdowns won’t slow you down. BoatUS offers GEICO boat insurance policies that give boat owners affordable, specialized coverage and the superior service they need. Award-winning BoatUS Magazine is the largest circulation recreational marine publication in the U.S. with engaging content that speaks to the passion for boat ownership, while our 501(c)(3) nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water offers the nation’s only free online boating safety course and many other programs that keep boaters safe and our waters clean. Visit BoatUS.com.