Royal Life Saving has used the troubling figures as a warning for anyone going out boating over the Easter long weekend to stay sober for their own safety.

The Murray River remained the number one hotspot in Australia for drowning deaths.

Of the 1001 deaths in rivers across the country, 359 were in NSW and 81 per cent of the victims were male.

RLS national manager of research and policy Amy Peden said she was concerned about the high number related to alcohol.

“Unfortunately drowning deaths involving alcohol are still a major issue for us,” she said.

“We tend to see drowning deaths increase a lot around public holidays.”

The pattern was the same when looking at fatal boat crashes: 26 per cent of victims recorded a blood-alcohol level of .05 or higher.

The drink-driving limit is the same for someone in command as a boat as it is for someone driving a car.

Ms Peden said RLS wanted to release the data for the first time as a warning for boaters heading out for what might be the last weekend of the season.

“Australians tend to mix their aquatic activities with alcohol – it’s a bit of a deadly combination,” she said.

“There’s little enforcement of that being done, it’s too difficult to cover thousands of kilometres of the rivers.”

The onus was put on the people on the river to stay sober and wear life jackets.

“If they’re not thinking of themselves, they need to think about their passengers,” Ms Peden said.

The warning was part of RLS’s ongoing Respect the River campaign.

A survey of river users, which found support for more breathtesting of skippers, was welcomed by RLS chief executive Justin Scarr.

“It’s great to see community recognition that there may be a need for further enforcement of drink-boating legislation and such widespread support for lifejackets,” he said.

“We encourage those boating to wear them at all times.”