{"id":159498,"date":"2026-06-01T11:16:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=159498"},"modified":"2026-06-01T11:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:16:20","slug":"mdwfp-highlights-boating-safety-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/mdwfp-highlights-boating-safety-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"MDWFP Highlights Boating Safety Efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP)<\/strong> concluded an enforcement and educational effort during the <strong>Memorial Day<\/strong> weekend. MDWFP Conservation Officers encountered over 3,600 boaters statewide, ensuring safety and compliance of those enjoying Mississippi\u2019s beautiful waterways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During this period, officers issued 296 total citations. Of these, 23 were related to personal flotation devices (PFDs), 17 were drug and alcohol related, and 25 involved reckless operation of a vessel. Officers also made 3 arrests for boating under the influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/BoatingSafety-3583-scaled.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/BoatingSafety-3583-1024x683.jpg?resize=640%2C427&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-159499\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5000126011240202;width:784px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/BoatingSafety-3583-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/BoatingSafety-3583-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/BoatingSafety-3583-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/BoatingSafety-3583-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/BoatingSafety-3583-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/BoatingSafety-3583-scaled.jpg?w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/BoatingSafety-3583-scaled.jpg?w=1920 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compared to Memorial Day weekend in previous years, total citations were down, with the most significant decrease being in personal flotation devices (PFD). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As summer recreational activities on Mississippi\u2019s waters increase, MDWFP reminds all boaters of critical safety requirements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\uf0b7 Every vessel must carry one wearable USCG-approved PFD, also known as a life jacket, for each person on board.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\uf0b7 Ensure PFDs are in good and serviceable condition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\uf0b7 Have appropriately sized PFDs for everyone aboard the vessel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\uf0b7 Anyone under 13 years of age must wear a Coast Guard approved PFD at all times while the vessel is underway.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\uf0b7 Keep PFDs readily accessible in case of an emergency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Statistics from Memorial Day weekend showed a positive impact of proactive enforcement and public awareness. \u201cWe had an outstanding holiday weekend, ensuring safe boating practices for everyone on the water,\u201d says MDWFP Boating Law Administrator, Major <strong>Chris Clark<\/strong>. \u201cWe appreciate Mississippi boaters for their increased efforts to boat safely, as seen through the decrease in citations this year. We continue to encourage you all to stay safe, make responsible decisions, and wear proper PFD.\u201d MDWFP Conservation Officers continue to work hard to emphasize the importance of boater education and following boating safety tips. As a reminder, impaired boating is not only illegal, but it endangers everyone on the vessel as well as the general public. MDWFP strongly advises against operating any type of vessel under the influence. MDWFP remains committed to promoting safe and enjoyable experiences on Mississippi\u2019s waterways. Conservation officers will continue to monitor boating activity throughout the summer ensuring a fun and safe environment for everyone to enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mission of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks is to conserve and enhance Mississippi\u2019s wildlife, fisheries, and parks; provide quality outdoor recreation and engage the public in natural resource conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/TheLocalVoiceLigature-25web.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"25\" height=\"16\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/TheLocalVoiceLigature-25web.jpg?resize=25%2C16\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14544\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) concluded an enforcement and educational effort during the Memorial<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238,"featured_media":159495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17316,16469],"tags":[34894,28932,28856,3478,5],"class_list":["post-159498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mississippi","category-state-news","tag-chris-clark","tag-fisheries","tag-mdwfp","tag-memorial-day","tag-mississippi"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/LOGO-wildlife-parks.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159498"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159500,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159498\/revisions\/159500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}