Recently my partner and I were fishing in my boat and were approached by two TWRA officers. They did their job and this post is not about being disgruntled because we were checked. My partner and I both wear the automatic inflatable life vests and we had taken them off and were fishing. I had cleared out one storage bin on my boat so my partner could bring his favorite containers of lures and any other gear he wanted to use and I had also removed all extra life jackets that I had in the boat. The TWRA officer asked to see our life jackets and we both showed him our automatic inflatable life vests as proof that we had our life jackets on board as required by state law. The TWRA officers informed us that they needed to see our other life jackets because an automatic inflatable life jacket does not count as a life jacket unless it is being worn by a person. Essentially we needed two additional regular style life jackets in the boat in order to be legal. We explained to the officers that we had no idea that we were in violation of the law and immediately put our vests back on. After the officers left my opartner and I discussed what the officers had told us and since then we have tried to find the actual law that states the vests we wear are not legal unless they are being worn. Can someone please point out the law that would specifically state that the vests we wear are not legal unless they are worn? We also wondered if other people are aware of this law and wanted to get the word out to others so they will be confident they are legal and are obeying the current laws. Again, this is not a post that is meant to bash the officers for doing their job. They were very professional and we appreciated them checking us, in fact my partner and I are both law enforcement officers and the TWRA officers knew both of us. They did their job, as they should have that day. In fact,we could have been cited into court and would have had to pay a fine if found guilty. If the current law is not clear on this issue then it should be addressed and updated. Any comments on this issue by TWRA would be greatly appreciated.
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Take care of God's creatures and you will be rewarded!