On today’s Discover Better Boating, Dave White gives us some safety tips for winter boating, including hunting, fishing, and those that go on the ice, and the life jacket winter “Wear It” law.

Syracuse, NY, November 19, 2011 - Welcome aboard Discover Better Boating. I'm Dave White and today we're going to talk about winter boating, which many of us do in some way, shape or form. If you're out fishing, hunting, or even if you're out on the ice over the water, you want to be thinking about being safe when you're out there.

Whether you're enjoying your paddle sport of canoeing or kayaking, out hunting or out fishing, there is a law in New York State that you have to wear a life jacket throughout the entire winter season - from November 1 through the end of April. And, to help remind you, there is a "Wear it" campaign.

As seen in the video, Dave explains the different kinds of life jackets and float suits you'll see people wearing throughout the winter season during their coastal recreational activities.

Two things you have to remember to be classified as wearing a life jacket - it has to be fully zipped up and fastened and it has to say U.S. Coast Guard-approved.

Thanks for joining us on Discover Better Boating. We hope that you've enjoyed this summer series, have learned a lot and that you'll have a safe boating season throughout the winter. We'll look forward to seeing you in the spring.

Discover Better Boating is brought to you by the Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York, and New York Sea Grant. The Discover Better Boating segments will run on YNN stations every third Saturday through November.

The YNN channel, based in Syracuse, telecasts two separate program feeds, one to Central/Northern New York; one to the Southern Tier. YNN is available to nearly 600,000 cable subscribers across a 25-county, 15,000 square mile area.