RedactedNarrative: On July 15, 2016 at approximately 5:30 AM, Operator1 was operating a 24-foot Nautic Star bay boat. (Vessel 1, LA xxxxxx). He was heading southeast in a narrow canal known as Joe's Ditch. Operator1 had two passengers on his vessel. His speed was just fast enough to keep his vessel on plane. As Operator1 rounded a sharp curve in the ditch, he noticed an object in the center of the canal. He turned his vessel to port to avoid the object in the canal. The object was later identified as a bait box. When he took his attention away from the bait box in the canal and looked up, he could see another vessel heading right for him. (Vessel 2, LA xxxxxx) Operator1 turned his vessel hard to starboard to try to avoid a collision but was too late. The two vessels collided port to port. The operator, Operator2 and passenger in Vessel 2, a commercial fishing vessel with an oyster dredge, were ejected from the vessel during the collision.  The passenger sitting in front of the console on Vessel 1 jumped out of the boat just prior to the collision. No one reported any injuries on the day of the collision. Both vessels had the required PFD's on board but no one was wearing them during the collision.  The operator of Vessel 1, Operator1 did say he was using his kill switch when the collision occurred.  The use of drugs or alcohol are not a contributing factor in this incident.