What is the primary purpose of the buoyage system?

The primary purpose of the buoyage system is to help navigate and mark safe passages in waterways. This system employs buoys, which are floating markers that indicate navigational information to boaters. These markers guide vessels safely along intended routes, mark the edges of navigable channels, and help prevent accidents by indicating areas that are safe for boat passage.

Buoys are typically color-coded and shaped in specific ways to convey different messages regarding safe navigation, such as indicating the port and starboard sides of a channel, signifying entrance points, and alerting to potential dangers. This systematic approach ensures that boaters have clear visual cues to rely on, thereby enhancing safety on the water.

The other options do address important aspects of waterway management but do not capture the central focus of the buoyage system, which is primarily concerned with navigation and the safe passage of vessels. For example, while certain buoys can indicate fishing zones or signal hazards, those are secondary functions rather than the main purpose. Likewise, directing water currents is not a function of buoys but rather an aspect of waterway hydrodynamics that is managed through other means.