Authorities Reassess No-Wake Buoys In Barnegat Bay

State Police will soon reassess whether hundreds of slow-speed buoys are still needed in Barnegat Bay.

Under a new pilot program, the Asbury Park Press reports that authorities could remove up to one-third of the 750 markers that have been in place since boat traffic and speed complaints surged along with New Jersey's recreational fleet.

Each buoy costs about $350, not counting emplacement and maintenance costs for the state's Bureau of Navigation.

State police say the buoys that will undergo the closest scrutiny are mostly slow-speed/no-wake buoys that were put in the bay to warn mariners of a temporary slow-speed/no-wake area and are no longer required.

Other buoys could be removed from places where boaters are expected to know that vessels are required to slow down to no-wake speed.