10 Mistakes Boaters Make in NC That Get Them Tickets

North Carolina’s waterways are beautiful, but they come with rules that can trip up even seasoned captains. Here are the top 10 mistakes boaters often make in NC that can lead to tickets or worse:

⚓ 1. Operating Without a Boater Education Card  

Anyone born on or after January 1, 1988 must carry proof of boater education when operating a vessel with a motor of 10 HP or more.

🚨 2. Not Having Enough Life Jackets  

You need one U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket per person onboard — and kids under 13 must wear them at all times while underway.

🛥️ 3. Speeding in No-Wake Zones  

Blasting through marinas or near docks at full throttle is a surefire way to get flagged down by wildlife officers.

🍻 4. Boating Under the Influence (BUI)  

Just like driving, boating while impaired is illegal. NC has strict BUI laws, and penalties can include jail time and loss of boating privileges.

🔦 5. Missing Required Safety Equipment  

This includes fire extinguishers, navigation lights, sound-producing devices (like a whistle or horn), and a throwable flotation device.

📜 6. Not Registering or Displaying Numbers Properly  

Your boat must be registered with visible numbers and decals. Faded, missing, or improperly placed numbers can lead to fines.

🧭 7. Ignoring Navigation Rules  

Failing to yield, cutting across channels, or not knowing “Red Right Returning” can cause accidents — and citations.

📵 8. No Engine Cut-Off Switch (ECOS)  

Federal law requires an ECOS on certain boats. Not using it when required can result in a ticket.

🌊 9. Overloading the Boat  

Exceeding the boat’s capacity plate (by weight or passengers) is dangerous and illegal.

📋 10. Not Filing a Float Plan or Checking Weather  

While not always ticketed, heading out without telling someone your plan or ignoring weather advisories can lead to search-and-rescue situations — and scrutiny from authorities.

North Carolina Offshore Drilling - HELP

 North Carolina’s 300-mile coast is an environmental and economic powerhouse — supporting vibrant tourism, commercial fishing, and unique marine ecosystems. Yet federal plans to expand offshore oil and gas drilling put all of that at risk.

What’s Happening:

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is developing the 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, which outlines proposed offshore lease sales over five years. They are currently seeking public input to help shape the final version of the program. If North Carolina is included in their plan, this could allow dangerous drilling and seismic testing in our waters — threatening wildlife, tourism, fisheries, and coastal communities.

How You Can Help: BOEM is taking public comments through June 16. Speak out today to protect our coast! You can comment:

Online: Go here, and click “Comment” to write your message,

or by mail: in an envelope labeled “Comments for the 11th National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program” and send to: Ms. Kelly Hammerle, BOEM 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, VA 20166-9216

Key Messages & Supporting Facts:

A Thriving Yet Fragile Coastal Economy

NC’s coastal tourism industry generated over $6.8 billion in 2023, supporting over 30,000 jobs. Commercial and recreational fishing added $2.5 billion in 2022 and tens of thousands of jobs. Offshore drilling could permanently damage this economy through spills and industrialization.

Offshore Drilling is Devastating to Marine Life

Seismic blasting used to locate oil deposits can harm or kill marine life — including fish, zooplankton (the base of the food web), and up to 138,000 marine mammals, per BOEM’s own data. Drilling infrastructure threatens nesting sea turtles, migrating whales, and vital fish nurseries like the Pamlico/Albemarle Estuary — the second-largest estuarine system in the continental U.S.

Critical Habitat is at Stake

The coast is now part of protected habitat for the endangered North Atlantic right whale — as of 2024, fewer than 370 remained worldwide. Drilling could also impact the biologically rich waters off Cape Hatteras, where the Gulf Stream and Labrador Current meet.

Spills are Inevitable — and Expensive

“When you drill, you spill.” The 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster cost $65 billion in damages — more than NC’s annual state budget. Even small, routine spills and toxic discharge harm ecosystems and erode public trust in coastal safety.

Minimal Energy, Massive Risk

The Atlantic holds only 0.5% of the world’s oil — and would supply just 36 days of U.S. demand. Drilling would not lower gas prices meaningfully — the EIA estimates just a 3-cent decrease by 2030 if all offshore areas are opened.

Coastal Communities Overwhelmingly Oppose Drilling

Over 200 local governments on the East Coast, including 46 in NC, have formally opposed offshore drilling. Ports like Wilmington, Morehead City, and even the U.S. military and NASA have raised concerns.

Your Voice Matters!

This is a forever decision — once drilling starts, it will continue for decades. Speak up now to protect North Carolina’s waters, wildlife, and way of life.

Submit your comment by June 16 and tell BOEM:

No offshore drilling. No seismic blasting. Not here. Not now. Not ever.

Learn more, here.

 

 

Marine Fisheries to Implement Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact

 

Marine Fisheries to Implement Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact
Contact:  Patricia Smith
Phone: 252-515-5500

MOREHEAD CITY – Starting July 1, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will implement requirements of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact Act ("Act") for marine and estuarine fisheries violations, as directed by the N.C. General Assembly. The Act provides reciprocal recognition of license suspensions with participating states.

Proposed rules were adopted by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission in March 2025 and approved by the Rules Review Commission in May 2025. The rules will apply to marine and estuarine fisheries violations committed in North Carolina or any other participating state starting July 1, 2025.

In its definition of "wildlife," the Act includes all species of animals the Commission and the Division protect and regulate. The Act provides enhanced flexibility for fair and impartial treatment of non-residents with wildlife resources violations, including fishing violations. The adoption of these rules allows the Division to hold wildlife violators accountable and treat them the same, regardless of their state residency.

Text of the rules can be found in the June 1, 2025, Supplement to the 2020 N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission Rulebook at https://deq.nc.gov/DMF-Rules.

For questions about these rules, email Catherine Blum, rules coordinator for the Division of Marine Fisheries.

For More Information