Enforcement threatened after close calls between fishing boats and freighters on Detroit River

As a new fishing season dawns, there have been a number of close calls out on the Detroit River between fishermen and massive freighters, according to the Windsor Port Authority.

“We've had several near misses between lakers and freighters this past weekend. With fishermen refusing to get out of the way,” said Peter Berry, the harbourmaster with the port authority.

One of those near misses, he said, turned into an argument between the ship’s captain and a handful of fishermen.

“The captain was actually yelling off the bridge of the ship and the three boats were yelling at him to get out of the way,” said Berry, perplexed at the interaction. “And because this was ‘their spot,’ the freshman refused to move.”

Berry said the situation was serious enough that Transport Canada was notified in the situation centre, as were the Canadian and U.S. Coast Guards.

Commercial traffic has the right of way in active shipping channels like the Detroit River, and Berry said even if a fisherman has found a so-called “honey spot,” they need to move, noting the repercussions could be deadly.

“Pay attention to what you're doing and you'll have a great fishing day rather than being sucked under a ship and killed,” he warned.

There are also economic ramifications, with millions of dollars worth of cargo and the jobs it supports at stake.

Berry said for those reasons, time to play nice is over.

“We've done a lot of education the last couple of years, so that’s done,” he said. “We're now going to go with enforcement with ticketing and sending boats home.”

Fishermen who were out on the river over the weekend said there were thousands of boats out of the water that day.

“That's been an issue this year. And it's just common sense,” said Scott Handsor. “Just kind of use your common sense.”

He said most of the boaters he witnessed over the weekend were respectful and conscientious of freighter traffic — noting it’s perfect fishing weather.

“The bite is hot. If you love fish, this is the time to get out,” Handsor said.

“We want you to fish, we want you to enjoy it. But do safely,” said Berry, reminding recreational boaters they can move their boats easily but it takes a ship one kilometre to come to a halt, meaning recreational boaters will lose every time.

“That opportunity to stay alive is nil. If you're hit by a ship your opportunity to have the rest of the day fishing is over,” he said.

According to Berry, if you’re caught impeding a commercial vessel, you can get a $500 ticket.

If a boater causes damage to a ship or makes it veer off course, they could face a fine of $100,000 and up to a year in jail.

If caught by the U.S. Coast Guard, Berry said it could result in a felony conviction.