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The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) installed new acoustic buoys in Caño Martín Peña and the Piedras River to alert boaters about the presence of manatees and reinforce navigation safety.
The designated secretary of the DNER, Waldemar Quiles, explained that the buoys warn boat users about the maximum speed allowed of five knots in these areas. “These buoys guide the boater who is entering an area used by manatees. We will continue to label and implement the current laws and regulations on navigation in Puerto Rico,” Quiles said in a written statement.
As part of this effort, agents of the Maritime Unit of the San Juan Municipal Police issued two fines of $250 each to boat drivers who exceeded the speed limit in designated areas.
The DNER had recently placed similar buoys in the Caracoles, Mata La Gata and Collado keys, in the La Parguera sector, in Lajas. Quiles reiterated the call to boat owners to comply with Law 430-2000, known as the “Navigation and Aquatic Safety Law of Puerto Rico,” which establishes negligent navigation in areas exclusive to bathers and manatees as a crime.
