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Boaters line the Ludington channel Monday morning as the SS Badger departs for Manitowoc, Wis.
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — A two-year effort to improve safety between recreational boaters and large commercial vessels in Ludington Harbor may eventually result in a year-round state navigation rule that mirrors restrictions already being enforced by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is considering a Local Watercraft Control for Pere Marquette Lake and the Ludington shipping channel that would require smaller vessels and other waterway users to maintain minimum distances from commercial vessels more than 100 feet long.
Ludington Police Chief Chris Jones said the proposed DNR regulation remains under review.
“It is still in the DNR’s hands,” Jones said. “It mirrors the Coast Guard with the exception it would be year-round, not just congestion based.”
Under the proposed state regulation, other vessels and waterway users would be required to remain at least 440 yards — one-quarter mile — ahead of the bow, 100 yards behind the stern and 35 yards from the port and starboard sides of a vessel more than 100 feet long while it is transiting the regulated area.
Those are the same distances established under the Coast Guard’s Ludington regulated navigation area. The federal regulation covers all navigable waters of Pere Marquette Lake and the Ludington Harbor ship channel, along with Lake Michigan within 1,000 yards of the harbor entrance.
The Coast Guard activated the regulated navigation area for the current season at 4 a.m. Aug. 18. Unlike the proposed state rule, the federal regulation is activated when the Captain of the Port, Sector Lake Michigan, determines hazardous vessel congestion exists. Such conditions can include concentrations of recreational and commercial fishing vessels, pleasure boats, tow boats and other commercial vessels, along with fishing tournaments and other marine activities.
The current effort follows concerns that came to a head during the 2024 salmon fishing season.
On Aug. 22, 2024, Jones, acting as Ludington harbormaster, issued an order temporarily prohibiting fishing and other non-transitory activities in portions of the harbor during the S.S. Badger’s arrival and departure periods. At the time, Jones said there had been numerous occasions when boats failed to give way to the Badger and, in some cases, the ship’s captain was forced to take action to avoid a collision.
Jones rescinded the order the following day after discussions with members of the local fishing community. He said the conversations resulted in a commitment from fishermen and boaters to work with law enforcement to create a safer environment in the harbor. Additional enforcement was also planned.
Law enforcement officers and Badger captains also met with local boaters during a public forum that season to discuss the problems created when smaller vessels failed to give large ships enough room to navigate. During that meeting, law enforcement and the Badger’s captains said the problem of boaters ignoring large vessels appeared to have become worse. The meeting became part of the discussion that ultimately led to efforts to establish more clearly defined separation distances.
The Coast Guard subsequently established the Ludington regulated navigation area in 2025. The federal rule went into effect for the first time Aug. 29, 2025, establishing specific minimum distances around vessels more than 100 feet long.
The DNR is now considering establishing essentially the same restrictions under state authority.
At the request of the City of Ludington, the DNR held a public hearing June 16 at Ludington City Hall to gather comments regarding proposed regulations for the navigation area in Pere Marquette Lake and the Ludington shipping channel. Written comments were accepted through July 16.
Under Michigan law, a municipality may request a permanent Local Watercraft Control by submitting a resolution to the DNR Law Enforcement Division. The DNR states that the process can take a minimum of 120 days if the request is approved and that submission of a resolution does not guarantee approval.
Jones said it is unlikely the process will be completed before the end of this year’s salmon fishing season.
“In theory, sometime this fall,” he said, adding that the DNR has not provided a specific timetable.
Jones said the DNR recently contacted him with additional questions concerning reported safety issues in the harbor. He said officials are not aware of an actual collision that prompted the proposed regulation, but the concern is preventing one from occurring.
The existing Coast Guard regulation also presents an enforcement limitation for local officers because it is federal law.
Mason County Sheriff’s Dep. Mike Fort, who leads the sheriff’s office marine patrol, said deputies cannot directly cite someone for violating the Coast Guard regulation.
“We basically use it to back other ordinances and state laws,” Fort said.
Fort said the federal standards can provide support when deputies enforce Michigan laws such as careless or reckless operation of a vessel.
“We can use that as a backbone to help bolster other laws the state has in place,” Fort said.
He compared the situation to other boating regulations where federal requirements can establish a safety standard that state and local officers can use when enforcing Michigan law.
Jones said Coast Guard personnel can directly enforce the federal navigation regulation. If Coast Guard personnel are accompanying state or local officers, federal officers can also issue citations for violations.
A state Local Watercraft Control would eliminate that enforcement gap by giving DNR conservation officers, sheriff’s deputies and other authorized state and local officers a specific state regulation to enforce.
So far this season, Fort said, recreational boaters appear to be complying with the new restrictions or are simply more conscious of the Badger and other large vessels.
“So far it hasn’t been horrible,” Fort said, noting that salmon fishing activity has also been lighter than usual.
That could change as salmon fishing activity increases. Late August and early September traditionally bring concentrations of fishing boats into Pere Marquette Lake and the harbor channel as salmon move toward the Pere Marquette River.
Fort said the sheriff’s office will likely use its drone as part of marine patrol operations during periods of heavy fishing activity.
The Badger is also not the only vessel affected by the restrictions.
Fort noted that the tanker Prime, which has been docked at OxyChem’s terminal on Pere Marquette Lake for the past several weeks, will eventually have to transit the lake and channel when it departs. The tug Candice Elise and barge Robert F. Deegan will also need room to maneuver when they depart.
The Coast Guard regulation applies to any vessel more than 100 feet long while it is transiting the regulated area.
Jones said the 440-yard distance in front of a ship is based on the visibility limitations of large commercial vessels. From the pilothouse, the captain needs sufficient distance ahead of the bow to see smaller vessels.
Determining exactly what constitutes 440 yards while on the water may be difficult for recreational boaters, Jones said, but there is a simpler way to judge whether a boat is dangerously close: The operator should be able to see the ship’s pilothouse. If the recreational boater cannot see the pilothouse, the people operating the ship may not be able to see the smaller boat.
The 35-yard requirement on either side is also particularly important in the harbor channel, where a large vessel has little ability to maneuver around smaller boats.
Jones said the regulations apply regardless of whether someone is actively fighting a fish.
“The laws of physics don’t change because you have a salmon on the hook,” Jones said. “Take three minutes out of your day and move out of the way and go back to it.”
Jones said officials have intentionally tried to keep the safety issue separate from disagreements involving different fishing techniques or groups of fishermen. The concern is simply whether a large vessel has enough room to safely navigate.
That could become particularly important during the next several weekends, Jones said, with the height of salmon fishing season approaching and Labor Day weekend bringing more visitors who may not be familiar with Ludington Harbor or the restrictions.
Pere Marquette Lake already has a state Local Watercraft Control. Since 1988, vessels have been required to operate at slow-no wake speed from the outer breakwater entrance east to a line extending west from the westernmost portion of the Yacht Club peninsula.
If approved, the new DNR rule would add the separation requirements for large vessels and, unlike the Coast Guard’s congestion-based regulation, would remain in effect throughout the year.
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