While recreational boating season comes to a crawl on local waters after the hustle and bustle of the summer, a growing number of abandoned boats litter the landscape of Ocean County’s barrier islands. A possible funding source is taking shape, but even that isn’t a guarantee to cover the cost of removing the vessels.

“It’s very frustrating,” said Walt Bohn of Sea Tow Central New Jersey, which operates out of Key Harbor in Waretown. “There has to be some type of process.