Whistle on Life Jackets??

[cagrove]

On another fishing site that I subscribe to, one of the members mentioned that the Maryland DNR folks did a spot check of him on the water and gave a warning about not having a whistle on each life jacket. I checked the Maryland boating regs and went over the Coast Guard regs and could not find anything on it.

Has anyone else heard of this?

I'm sending off an email to the Maryland DNR folks to try to clear this up but was just curious what others may have run in to.

[Fishin' DC's]

I don't know about the MD regs (or FL for that matter), but it sounds like a good idea regardless. I've got them on mine.

[JimW]

Chuck,
I just had a vessel safety check a couple of weeks ago in Havre De Grace, MD by the CG auxilliary and they didn't say anything about having whistles on the life jackets. I am not aware of it being in the regs. However I agree with Fishin' DC's, and I think I will add them to mine, especially for the grandchildrens.

Jim

[Putershark]

Have always had one on my daughters jacket, but I do not remember that being a reg that we when I was in the Coast Guard, ever saw or worried about. We were more worried about people just having jackets more than anything else

Here again, that was well back in the last "Century" as my daughter Maggie reminds me of all that time so that may have changed?

[BarryB]

For coastal or ocean fishing, not only a whistle but a small strobe too (both are inexpensive). People become very small dots in a very large ocean.

For bay water, perhaps just the whistle.

[cagrove]

I agree that it is a good idea and will add them to mine. I boat in Maryland waters all the time and wanted to make sure I was completely within the regs when on the water. I have an email in to the Maryland DNR folks and am awaiting a response.

[wpschaef]

My auto inflators from West Marine came with them in a pocket.

[cagrove]

Response from MD DNR was that whistles are not required on life jackets but they did say it was a good idea. It's always a good idea to know the laws as even those who enforce them can make mistakes.

I'm adding whistles to my jackets.

[JimW]

Today I installed a whistle on all 6 of the life jackets in by boat. The two for the grandkids and 4 adults.

Jim

[cagrove]

As a follow-up: As I was coming off the water on Saturday at around 10:30 a.m. the Coast Guard Auxillary was doing spot safety checks and asked if I would be interested...of course, I said yes. They checked the boat from top to bottom...very professional group. I asked the Captain performing the check if he had heard of the whistle on the life jacket "law" and was informed the same thing...that they recommend it but it wasn't required. He said the same about a distress flag and recommended that I carry one on board even though I had the required flares and signaling devices. One more thing to add to the safety kit.

As a side note: he saw that I had one of those pistol type flare guns and told me to not go into Washington, D.C. waters with it because the folks in D.C. consider it a handgun and will affect an arrest for violating their handgun ban. Just a warning for those who fish around our nation's capital.

Tight lines.