Ice breaking begins on Whitefish Bay

PRESS RELEASE

U.S. COAST GUARD

************************** Whitefish Bay ice breaking operations

The week of March 16, the United States Coast Guard will start breaking ice in Whitefish Bay and the Upper St Marys River in preparation for the 2009 shipping season.

Ice breaking operations will extend from Whitefish Bay to Detour.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutters initially involved will be the Mackinaw based out of Cheboygan, the Biscayne Bay out of St. Ignace, and the Katmai Bay home ported in Sault Ste Marie.

On the 16th of March, Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw will lock through to the upper St Marys River and prepare tracks in Whitefish Bay and the upper St Marys River.

Although not limited to a specific area, CGC Mackinaw will focus their activities to the charted Lake Carriers Association (LCA) track lines.

All-terrain vehicle (ATV) operators, snowmobilers and other recreational users of the ice should avoid any proximity to the shipping channels, plan their activity carefully, and use caution near the ice.

Additionally, all ice fishermen should remove their ice shacks from areas close to the shipping channels.

Further inquiries can be made by phone to Sault Vessel Traffic Service at (906) 635-3232.

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