GREAT LAKES-Recreational boaters will have a new hailing frequency all to themselves July 1 as the new marine hailing channel comes online.

Saturday the new marine hailing frequency, channel 9, will be fully implemented on the Great Lakes.

Traditionally marine VHF channel 16 has been used for all hailing and distress calls for both recreational boater and commercial vessels. Use of channel 9 by recreational boaters will free up channel 16 to handle only marine distress and emergency calls. The changes were driven by extreme congestion on channel 16, a condition that could cause a distress call to go unheard.

Channel 9 will not be monitored by the Coast Guard or commercial vessels, making it suitable only for recreational boaters. Commercial vessels will continue to use channel 16 for hailing and distress.

In case of emergencies, recreational boaters should immediately contact the Coast Guard on the marine distress channel, channel 16, for help.

The Coast Guard will make Marine Advisory and Urgent Marine Information Broadcasts on both channel 9, the new hailing channel, and channel 16.

This change may allow the Coast Guard faster response times to MAYDAY calls and other emergency radio requests that are often muted by unnecessary channel 16-radio traffic.

The success of channel 9 as the new hailing frequency hinges on the cooperation of Great Lakes mariners. Recreational boaters are asked to help make our waterways safer by using channel 9 for hailing and leaving channel 16 clear for distress calls.