Betrayal in Georgia?
​New Anchor Rules Appear Worse Than Ever
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Back in 2018, the State of Georgia was in the process of enacting draconian anchoring restrictions, ostensibly designed to protect recreational and commercial shellfishing and other marine interests. Their argument was that boats dump raw sewage (even though residential blackwater discharges are a well documented problem in the state and the impact from boats entirely speculative).

​Spurred to act, a coalition of boating groups sat down with Georgia officials and negotiated a better deal for their cruising constituents. Or at least they thought they had. Now Georgia has released final rules that are almost as bad as the originals, maybe even worse.

Ted Arisaka is an anchoring activist and founding member of the Facebook Group “Save Georgia’s Anchorages.” Writing on behalf of the coalition, Arisaka sent this letter to Mark Williams,  commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources:
DOWNLOAD GEORGIA'S LATEST ANCHORING REGS FOR THE ICW
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NO ANCHORING ZONES MAPPED
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If you are still confused (and who wouldn't be, with Georgia's bewilderingly bad officlal communications), remember this one nugget:

"Vessels are also allowed the ability to seek safe harbor in the event of dangerous weather or mechanical failure for a maximum of seven days."

All of which raises the question: Is Georgia even worth it? Avoid Getting Screwed by Georgia, Just Go Around It.
On behalf of the group of boaters who worked with the Department of Natural Resources  to create replacement House Bill 833 earlier this year, we seek some clarification on its implementation. You may recall that during our conference call, we stated our concerns about the shellfish harvest areas, and you directed your team to follow up with James Newsome as our representative on this matter. This has not occurred to date and we would like to avoid another confrontational situation such as when House Bill 201 was developed without stakeholder involvement.
 
  • The areas (shown on the above chart) designated as shellfish harvest area buffers in the current map on the Georgia Department of Natural Resources website are greatly increased versus those previously defined.  Is the DNR Coastal Resources Division representing the green shaded areas as currently approved shellfish growing areas? Terms and Conditions preceding the map state (emphasis mine) "Anchorage restriction areas means those areas within the estuarine areas of this state in any location that lies within 300 feet of a marina, 150 feet from a marine structure other than a marina, or within 500 feet of approved commercial shellfish growing areas and designated public harvest areas as determined by the department."
 
  • As much of the expanded shellfish growing areas include federally defined navigable waterways below the low water mark, has the US Army Corps of Engineers approved the designation? How much of the shellfish zones will be below the intertidal zone and be set aside for the mariculture technique utilizing cages suspended in the water column by floats?
 
  • HB 501 specifies that subtidal harvest zone leases must first be evaluated for impact against other public uses. Has this been completed? If so, may we examine the evaluations? If not, what opportunity for public comment will you make available? "Prior to offering a subtidal water bottoms lease, the department shall consider compatibility with other public uses of the marine and estuarine resources in proximity of the lease area that include, but are not limited to, navigation, fishing, swimming, and other forms of recreation."
 
  • GA DNR has adopted the federal framework of National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP), requiring shellfish waters meet the NSSP requirements before being designated as approved. Have these assessments been completed for all indicated areas?
 
The boating group members seek a balance of interest among public access, waterfront property owners, and a resurgent shellfish industry. Your feedback to clarify the above points would be most appreciated.
 
Our coalition comprised of: America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association, CruisersNet, DeFever Cruisers Association, Marine Trawler Owners Association National Marine Manufacturers Association, The Waterway Guide and Save Georgia’s Anchorages 
References:  
Arisaka has also written this letter of inquiry to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its contact information may be found here: https://www.sas.usace.army.mil/.../Regulatory-Program/.
Dear Sirs:
I am a recreational boater who enjoys the coastal waters of our East Coast and in particular, the coastal waters of Georgia. I have followed with interest, the evolution of Georgia's regulations around navigation/anchoring in their estuarine waters, starting with House Bill 201 in 2019 and replacement House Bill 833 in 2020.
 
As a result of HB 833, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has updated their definitions of no-anchoring zones as published on its website: https://gcmp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html.
 
Among the various zones, one in particular, "shellfish harvest" areas (shaded in green) have expanded dramatically between 2019 and 2020. These shellfish harvest areas are portrayed as "approved" on the Department of Natural Resources website and among the multiple requirements for approval is to receive a permit from the Corps of Engineers for those areas in navigable waters.
 
If one examines the published maps, there are many areas in navigable waters as well as established channels demarcated by Aids To Navigation by the U.S. Coast Guard and charted by NOAA. This also includes portions of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, which as you know is important not just for recreational boaters but also for commercial navigation. The reason for my email is to inquire as to the status of Corps approval of these shellfish harvest zones.
 
Thank you, Ted Arisaka