News Stories

USCG Plans to Remove Hundreds of Nav Buoys

USCG ship for buoy removal

In April 2025, the USCG issued a Local Notice to Mariners (LNM) detailing plans to remove or modify hundreds of navigational markers, including buoys, day beacons, and lights. The Coast Guard states that many of these aids were designed before the advent of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Electronic Navigation Charts (ENC), and Electronic Charting Systems (ECS). The modernization effort aims to "support the navigational needs of the 21st-century prudent mariner" and to "deliver effective, economical service" by managing vessel transit risks at acceptable levels and costs.

Transition to Virtual Aids

As part of this modernization, the USCG plans to replace certain physical buoys with Virtual Aids to Navigation (VAtoN), such as AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals. These virtual aids can be displayed on electronic navigation systems, providing mariners with necessary information without the need for physical structures. For example, along the California coast, several Safe Water Buoys are proposed to be replaced with Virtual AIS Aids to Navigation .

Financial Considerations

The initiative is also influenced by budgetary constraints. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that the USCG faces a shore infrastructure maintenance backlog exceeding $7 billion, more than double the amount required in 2019 . This financial pressure has prompted the Coast Guard to seek cost-effective solutions, such as reducing the number of physical navigation aids that require regular maintenance.

USCG plans to remove buoy 3

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Cutting Out 150 Buoys in Maine Alone 

The proposed changes primarily impact the Northeastern United States, with significant reductions planned in Maine, including areas like Penobscot Bay and Mount Desert Island. However, the initiative may extend to other regions as part of the USCG's broader modernization efforts.

In Maine alone, the Coast Guard is considering removing more than 150 buoys and other navigation aids along the coastline that have long helped mariners navigate coastal and inland waterways safely.

"The message we got from the Coast Guard was that it was to help with budgets," Portland Deputy Harbormaster Hattie Train said. Train and many of her family members work on the water.She's concerned about the coast guard's plan to remove buoys that help boaters safely navigate the coast, forcing them to instead rely on GPS technology.

"You can't always guarantee that the new technology is 100 percent accurate, whereas if there's a marker on a ledge, you know that marker's on the ledge,” Train said. “It's not going to be somewhere way off because of a satellite."

Maine is Vulnerable to Fog All Year

"When you become disoriented in the fog, and you go alongside a buoy to see what that number is, if there's no buoy there, how are you going to figure it out?" one veteran boater said. "You're not supposed to rely on only one kind of navigation. I have paper charts from years ago."

"I don't think that all of them should be removed that they're planning on removing," Train said.

The deputy harbormaster says boaters have voiced concerns about three buoys in Casco Bay on the removal list: one at Broad Cove Rock in Cape Elizabeth where a boater died in a crash, and two off Harpswell that warn boaters about Green Island Ledge.

"The Green Island Ledge, if you look with sonar down on bottom, there's still a granite barge, and that barge must have sunk for a reason," Train said.

Portland pilots, local marinas and even weekend boaters warn if the Coast Guard goes ahead with this plan, it will be a mistake."Take the buoys right out of the water, that's when you're going to have a problem. When someone wants to find out where they are, and there's no buoy there," Train said.

Public Response

The proposal has met with opposition from various maritime communities. In Maine, local officials and mariners have expressed concerns that removing physical buoys could compromise safety, especially in areas prone to fog and rocky coastlines . Similarly, in California, the maritime community successfully lobbied to retain the Santa Cruz "Mile Buoy," highlighting its importance as a navigational reference and local landmark "We need to think about the price of people's lives, and the fact that being on the water is dangerous," Train said.

USCG plans to remove buoy 14

Proposed Buoy Removals by Region

Maine

Over 150 buoys are slated for removal in Maine waters, including:

  • Penobscot Bay: More than 40 buoys

  • Mount Desert Island: Approximately a dozen buoys

  • Other Areas: Portland, Camden, Cape Neddick, Castine, Wells harbors, and the Damariscotta, Penobscot, Saco, and Scarborough rivers.​

Massachusetts

Proposed removals include:

  • Boston North Channel: Lighted Buoys 4, 8, and 9

  • Woods Hole Passage: Buoys 4A, 8, and 11

  • New Bedford Channel: Lighted Buoys 2, 5, and 9

  • Hog Island Channel: Lighted Buoys 7, 10, 11, 16, and 19.

Rhode Island

Affected buoys include:

  • East Passage: Lighted Bell Buoy 12, Buoy 12A, Lighted Buoy 17, Lighted Buoy 25

  • Providence River Approach: Lighted Buoys 13 and 14

  • Quonset Channel: Lighted Buoys 11 and 12

  • Sandy Point Junction: Lighted Bell Buoy SP

Connecticut

Proposed removals include:

  • Bridgeport Harbor: Entrance Channel Lighted Buoy 2

  • New Haven Harbor: Buoys 3, 4, 10, 12, and 13

  • New London Harbor: Channel Lighted Buoy 5 

New York & New Jersey

Significant changes are proposed in:

  • Ambrose Channel: Lighted Buoys 1, 2, 5, 11A, 12A, 20, and Whistle Buoy A

  • Sandy Hook Channel: Lighted Buoys 2, 3, and 6

  • Scotland Lighted Whistle Buoy S 

New Hampshire

Proposed removals include:

  • Rye Harbor Entrance: Lighted Whistle Buoy RH

  • Appledore Ledge: Buoy 2

  • Isles of Shoals: Bell Buoy IS

  • Halfway Rock: Buoy 4

  • Little Boars Head: Buoy 1C 

    This is only a partial list.

USCG plans to remove buoy 4

Accessing the Full Proposal

For a comprehensive list of proposed changes, including specific buoy identifiers and coordinates, refer to the Local Notice to Mariners for District 1 (April 8, 2025).​

BoatTEST's recommendation is that all concerned boat owners write to the USCG at the address below, and encourage your friends, neighbors, boating organization, or yacht club to do the same. The deadline is Jun 13, 2025, put this in the Subject Line: "Project No. 01-25-015".  Here is the USCG's email address: [email protected]