GILFORD — The statistics show that it has been a fairly typical summer for law enforcement policing the state’s waters, despite the fact there are far fewer officers on the water.

The numbers of boat registrations, boating accidents, boat-related deaths, drownings and drunk boating arrests are similar to last year’s figures, according to Marine Patrol Lt. Tim Dunleavy.

“The weather’s been beautiful, just like last year,” Dunleavy said.

“It’s been a banner year for boaters.”

But this year’s statistics don’t tell the whole story because they may not reflect the level of safety on the state’s 1,900 or so public bodies of water, about 300 of which are policed by the Marine Patrol, he said.

There are only 32 Marine Patrol officers on duty this summer, a cut from more than 60 officers last year and from the usual 80 or 90 officers employed in previous summers. That’s because of $1.2 million in budget cuts during the past two years — as well as a decline in boat registrations during the past two years and a drop in federal funding.

The sharp decline in officers may mean some of the statistics, such as arrests, are not comparable to past years, he said. And the number of boater safety education courses had to be cut because of fewer Marine Patrol officers available to conduct them.

Statistics on boater activity in the state show a steady, substantial decline in the number of boating accidents and fatalities in the past decade, particularly in the past three years. State officials crediting the decline to better boater education.

Dunleavy said more officers will be sought by his department in the coming budget year because, despite the similar numbers, the cuts were felt on the lake this summer and may be felt in years to come, if there are not enough officers to teach boater education classes.

“Although we were able to meet the needs of most who called us, the officer presence on the lakes and ponds was reduced so much that it’s hard to say how much (the cut in officers) hurt the boating public,” he said.

“But a boating course can be more important than even our presence, as we’ve seen over the past several years.”

The Marine Patrol needs at least 60 officers to adequately cover the state’s water bodies properly, Dunleavy said.

“Our goal is to replace our officers when the budget allows,” he said.

Boater registrations, which spiked in the spring after an early ice-out on Lake Winnipesaukee, are about where they were last year at this time. Thus far, 86,000 boats have been registered, compared to 91,700 on Sept. 1 of last year. This year’s number will probably equal — or exceed — last year’s by Labor Day, he said.

The number of reported boating-related accidents is up. As of Friday, there were 66 accidents reported, compared to 62 accidents reported in all of 2012. That number rose in part to the lower lake levels this spring, which created new obstacles for a time by uncovering rocks, Dunleavy said.

There were three boating-related deaths, compared to two all of last summer. This year’s fatalities occurred on May 26 on Country Pond in Kingston, when a man was killed in a two-boat collision; a kayaker died in the Connecticut River after leaving his boat in July 5; and on July 14 a man died after falling overboard on Northwood Lake.

There have been eight drownings in the state this year compared to nine downings in the state in 2011.

There have been 9 boating while intoxicated arrests thus far this year, compared to 14 in 2011.

dseufert@newstote.com.