Nena Donatelli says she didn't want to have to bar the public from fishing at the marina she runs in Port Dalhousie, but growing problems with some younger visitors left her no choice.

The Port Dalhousie Pier Marina, located on the outer harbour on the east side of the pier wall, has posted no fishing signs for the first time since it opened 30 years ago.

"I tried to get control of it last summer but it was getting worse," said Donatelli, harbour master at the private marina with 450 boaters. "One bad apple kind of ruins it for the whole bunch."

Donatelli said they've always allowed the public to fish on the break wall between docks and there's never been a problem with it.

But since the Port Dalhousie piers were closed in April 2015 by Fisheries and Oceans Canada for safety, public fishing at the marina has become an issue. A lot of people used to fish off the pier walls and can't do it anymore, so more people are coming to the marina.

Not all of them are respecting the space.

Donatelli said some younger visitors broke a few of the gates because they were pulling on them when they were locked.

The visitors were also snagging their fishing lures on the hydro and water lines that run into the water and go down to the docks to power boats. Boat propellers and engines were getting tangled up in fishing lines.

Fishing lines were also floating along the harbour and a lot of garbage was being left behind.

There were also instances of people sneaking onto the docks, throwing rocks in the lake and drinking and making a lot of noise.

Add to that a couple of break ins and it was enough.

"It is a private marina and we want to keep our boaters happy," Donatelli said. "It came to the point where some boaters said, we want to leave."

Donatelli said people like to fish in the harbour because the water is shallower and warmer. They have a salmon and rainbow trout hatchery and release thousands of baby fish into the lake every year which come back to the harbour to spawn and mate.

There's a regular group of fisherman who use the marina every year and Donatelli said they were a little upset with the news, but understood where she was coming from.

"I feel so bad, but if I let one guy in I have to let them all in," she said. "And they understand."

A lot of other people aren't aware of the new public fishing ban and Donatelli wants to get the word out.

"This is really members only marina but the public is allowed to walk and hang out on our inner marina pathway," Donatelli said. "They just can't access the docks."

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Karena.Walter@niagaradailies.com

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