Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the No Wake Zone topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Chincoteague council approves proposed no-wake zones after heated public hearing
Summary
After a public hearing with commercial fishers and residents voicing competing safety and economic concerns, the Chincoteague town council approved submission of proposed no-wake zones to the state, saying improved markers and signage will be added; enforcement remains with the state agency.
The Town of Chincoteague council voted on a voice motion to approve proposed no-wake zones for portions of channels adjacent to the island, following a public hearing in which commercial fishers, harbor users and residents described safety risks and property damage from boat wakes.
At the public hearing, multiple speakers urged the council either to adopt the no-wake proposal or to limit its scope. Danny Bowden, who said he fishes for a living, asked the town to designate a no-wake zone in the Shingateague Channel to protect people loading and unloading boats and to reduce dangerous wakes near moored vessels. Commercial fisher Ricky Shear described repeated incidents where wakes damaged boats and docks and said the issue had persisted for years. "We're trying to make a living," Shear said, urging the council to consider long-term protections for working boats.
Other commenters raised concerns about travel delays and local businesses. John H. Leonard, a resident who spoke during public comment, said extending no-wake boundaries across main channels could add minutes to repeated trips and urged the town to balance safety with commercial movement and tourism timing.
Council members debated the proposal on safety and enforcement grounds. The harbor committee chair described earlier attempts to secure similar restrictions and said the East Side Channel had been managed to permit faster transit in a central lane while protecting shorelines. The council emphasized that enforcement of waterway restrictions is the responsibility of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and that the town can only request the designation and install markers and signage.
A council member moved to approve submission of the proposed no-wake boundaries to the state; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Council members said they plan to improve signage and install clearer markers where the no-wake zones will be located. The council's discussion noted that some no-wake areas (for example, Sheepshead Creek and Lewis Creek) have been treated as de facto no-wake areas in the past and that the formal designation gives state regulators an additional enforcement tool.
The council did not provide a roll-call or numerical tally in the audio record; approval was recorded by voice vote. The next procedural step will be submission of the proposed boundary description to the state agency for final action and enforcement decisions.
The meeting then moved on to committee reports and routine business.
