Assembly Bill #: A 3961
Senate Bill # S 635

View Complete Bill

1. A few years ago the USCG tried to impose a EPIRB requirement on LO Charterboats. It was dropped because there were just not any real incidents of a serious nature. It was overkill.
2. The size of LO allows efficient use of cell phones and VHF radio. Most vessels don’t venture out of radio range. (25 miles). In fact most vessels when sportfishing are rarely out beyond 20 miles from shore. They are usually much closer.
3. On the Atlantic a sportfishing vessel often ventures out 100 miles or so. In this case an EPIRB could be beneficial as you can be out of cell phone and VHF range. Pretty hard to do on LO.
4. Bill requires a 406MHz EPIRB device. These are the expensive units. Start at about $500 and go as high as $2000. Two types ---the $500 unit has no GPS. It will bring rescuers to within  approx. 3 miles of the signal. The more expensive units have GPS built in and will bring rescuers to within about 100 yards. The cheaper $200 units are not 406MHz devices and thus would not qualify under current bill provisions. Basically they  are “mickey mouse”  devices.
5. Tournaments and derbies are an important part of the “Fish Lake Ontario” image. Most likely the weekend fisherman with his trailerable boat will not purchase an EPIRB just to fish an event. The LO events are dominated by small boats and weekend trollers. This is quite unlike an ocean Billfish event where $100,000 to well over $500,000 deluxe sportfishers are common. It is a totally different economic scenario.
6.   Tourism dollars generated by these popular LO events will be significantly reduced. In a state with a severe budget shortfall are we really looking to decrease business as the proposed law will surely do?
7. A boat fishing a tourney or derby will require an expensive EPIRB onboard. A non tourney boat fishing the same area will not need an EPIRB. This is a discriminatory practice.
8. NYS Sportsmen and women just supported a license fee increase to keep up with increasing DEC costs. We are willing to help pay our own way. Not too many groups can say the same. Since the fee increase, we have seen a reduction in the ability of DEC to provide proper support. We are paying more and getting less. The EPIRB law will just be one more expense that will really do nothing for LO safety other than make someone feel good. We don’t wish to pay for that.
9. The law if passed will require DEC Fish and Wildlife to administer and police the effort. Why in the world would we ask them to do more when they are already struggling to provide almost “bare bone” services as currently staffed.