Saving Seafood

Clarification of Mandatory Safety Exams for Commercial Fishing Vessels

October 20, 2015 — The following was released by the U.S. Coast Guard:

This bulletin provides clarification about the five-year mandatory dockside safety exam that applies to many commercial fishing vessels (CFVs).

• Effective October 15, 2015, the law requires completion of a mandatory dockside safety exam on certain CFVs at least once every five years. (See the answer to first question below to determine if your CFV must comply.)

• Any affected CFV that has not successfully completed a dockside exam on or after January 1, 2013 must get an exam to be in compliance with the law.

• Any affected CFV found not in compliance with the safety exam requirement could be subject to civil penalty action or operational controls.

• We will continue to use the “two-year” Safety Decal for all successful exams, mandatory or otherwise.

• We understand that many vessels have been getting exams more frequently than once every five years, and we will continue to offer a free exam whenever requested or required for another reason.

• We will develop regulations that include the requirement for us to issue a Certificate of Compliance to document a five-year mandatory exam. Until then, we will use the two-year Safety Decal to demonstrate compliance with any exam requirement.

• We still highly encourage you to get an exam every two years to ensure all of your vessel’s safety and survival equipment are up to date and installed properly.

What CFVs are affected by the Exam requirement? A mandatory exam was required by the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 and the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012, the latter of which required a period of at least once every five years. This applies to State-registered and Federally-documented CFVs that: 1) operate beyond 3 nautical miles from the territorial sea Baseline or Great Lakes coastline; 2) operate anywhere with more than 16 persons on board (including within 3 miles of the Baseline or Great Lakes coastline); or 3) are fish tender vessels engaged in the Aleutian trade. Additional background is in our bulletin of December 2014 and our open letter of August 2015. Both references are available at www.fishsafe.info.

When must I have last had an exam? To meet the mandatory five-year dockside safety exam requirement, a CFV must have successfully completed an exam on or after January 1, 2013. A CFV that has never been examined must have completed an exam prior to October 15, 2015 to be in compliance. A CFV that successfully completed an exam after January 1, 2013 has five years from the date of that successful exam to complete another exam under the law. Please note that other requirements may mean more frequent exams. Fish processing vessels and fish tender vessels engaged in the Aleutian trade require an exam every two years. (See 46 CFR Part 28, Subparts F and G). Also, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service requires vessels that carry a NOAA Fisheries Observer to have passed an exam within the past 2 years or the Observer will not deploy, which may restrict the vessel from fishing. [See 50 CFR, Part 600.746(b)-(d)]. We will schedule and provide a free exam and issue a two-year Safety Decal to meet any requirement whenever requested.

How will the Coast Guard know I’m in compliance with any exam requirement and what happens when a vessel doesn’t meet the mandatory exam requirement? Until regulations are developed creating a Certificate of Compliance, our boarding officers will determine compliance with the five-year mandatory exam requirement by checking the issue date on the decal, or by viewing the exam report/booklet (CG-5587) for the date the exam was successfully completed. If it is within the last five years and on or after January 1, 2013, the vessel meets the requirement. If a vessel is boarded and it hasn’t had the required five-year mandatory or other required exam, the operator or vessel could be subject to civil penalty action or operational controls.

Why is the Coast Guard going to eventually issue a Certificate of Compliance? The law that mandated the dockside safety exams also directed that a Certificate of Compliance be issued to a vessel that meets the requirements of Chapter 45, Title 46 United States Code. A Certificate of Compliance for commercial fishing vessels is still being developed. Until that time, the safety decal will demonstrate compliance with the exam requirement. Note: A copy of the exam report/booklet, also known as Form CG-5587, signed by the examiner and showing the decal number is provided to the owner and/or operator of the vessel after successfully completing and exam. This form also will demonstrate compliance with the exam requirement.

Are Voluntary Exams still offered? Yes. As we have for over 20 years, we will continue to conduct no-cost, no-fault voluntary dockside safety exams on CFVs, issuing a decal valid for two years upon successful completion of the exam. The decal shows compliance with applicable requirements at the time. A voluntary exam is offered as frequently as requested. This program is not changing. We highly recommend every CFV, even those not subject to mandatory exams, maintain a current two-year Safety Decal, which could facilitate a more streamlined safety check if we board you at sea. Please note that we may board you at any time or frequency to ensure compliance with safety and survival equipment and other requirements for your vessel, as well as for fisheries enforcement.

Are the Mandatory and Voluntary Exams the same? Yes. The safety and survival equipment and systems requirements that are checked for compliance on a vessel are the same whether it is a required exam or one voluntarily requested, and a safety decal will be issued in either case when completed successfully.

How do I request a Dockside Safety Exam? Request and schedule an exam by contacting your local Coast Guard Fishing Vessel Safety Examiner directly, or via a link on the Coast Guard’s CFV Program web site at www.fishsafe.info. Third party organizations are also authorized to conduct dockside safety exams and issue decals on behalf of the Coast Guard; they include American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Det Norske Veritas/ Germanischer Lloyd (DNV/GL), Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS), National Association of Marine Surveyors (NAMS), NAVTECH US Surveyors Association, and Bowditch Marine, Inc. These organizations should be contacted directly to schedule an exam. They can conduct the mandatory exam, a required exam, or a voluntary exam.

Who should I contact if I have questions? Please contact the Coast Guard Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance, Fishing Vessels Division (CG-CVC-3) at 202-372-1249 or by email at CGCVC@uscg.mil. Or, you may also contact your local Coast Guard District Fishing Vessel Safety Coordinator or local Sector Fishing Vessel Safety Examiner. The points of contact for these individuals can be found on the web site, www.fishsafe.info, by selecting the “Locate Examiners” tab.

View a PDF of the bulletin

MASSACHUSETTS: Nonprofit Group’s Mission Is To Keep Fishermen Safe

October 16, 2015 — HYANNIS, Mass. — Eighteen fishermen from around New England took to the seas of Hyannis Inner Harbor on Friday for free training put on by a nonprofit group called Fishing Partnership Support Services.

The fishermen donned inflatable immersion suits, put out fires, plugged leaks, and lit flares, supervised and coached by Coast Guard-certified instructors from various companies and organizations involved in fishing safety and equipment.

See a photo gallery from the training event

“You don’t want to be doing this stuff for the first time when you’re out on the water,” said the organization’s safety training coordinator Luis Catala, a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. “This is a great chance for them to practice and learn.”

The nonprofit started doing trainings in 2005 and now offers about 10 a year across New England. It has trained 2,700 fishermen in that time, said Vice President Andra Athos. In addition to the trainings, the group’s other main effort is providing health insurance to commercial fishermen, only 10 percent of whom are insured, through the Affordable Care Act.

“Our mission is to ensure the health and well-being of the commercial fishing community,” Athos said. “That doesn’t mean just fishermen, it also means their families and their communities.”

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

 

A message From Eileen Sobeck On At-Sea Monitors

October 14, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

I frequently share my admiration for the many talented and passionate people who make up the NOAA Fisheries workforce. I want to take this opportunity to recognize a cadre of highly trained, dedicated individuals who are part of the NOAA team and play a critical role in supporting our fisheries science and management.

At-sea fisheries monitors and observers are our eyes and ears on the water. They may spend days or weeks aboard commercial fishing vessels gathering first-hand information on what’s caught and thrown back.

The work is intense. Observers undergo a rigorous training program to be able to identify and take samples of the myriad ocean life that might come aboard. Getting it right is important because the stakes are high. The high-quality data they collect are used to monitor fisheries, assess fish populations, and inform management.

The working conditions are tough. Observers work alongside fishermen in stressful, strenuous and at times hazardous conditions. Fishing is one of the most dangerous professions in the world. NOAA’s observers and monitors are right there with those doing the dangerous work. This was tragically underscored recently when a member of our observer community, Keith Davis, went missing while at sea on a foreign vessel. There is an ongoing investigation into his disappearance led by the Government of Panama that is supported by the U.S. Embassy in Panama, the US Coast Guard investigative unit and the FBI.

Cooperation is critical. Deploying observers safely and collecting data at sea requires an active partnership between NOAA Fisheries, observers, observer providers, and the fishing industry.

We understand that at times, there can be tension among these parties. Observer safety is of utmost importance for me and NOAA as a whole. I understand tensions have been on the rise recently, but we must maintain respectful relationships. I have asked our law enforcement officers to remain vigilant and ensure the safety of our at-sea monitors and observers. Threats to these individuals will not be tolerated.

At-sea observers and monitors are dedicated professional scientists. They make a valuable contribution to our knowledge of fisheries and deserve our respect.

 

Fishing industry pushes for safety exams every 2 years

September 27, 2015 — SEATTLE — The Coast Guard will require commercial fishing vessels to undergo dockside safety examinations only once every five years, a move that North Pacific industry officials are protesting as far too infrequent.

The industry officials want the exams, which become mandatory Oct. 15, to be required every two years so that the Coast Guard has a better chance of spotting torn survival suits, malfunctioning alarms and other safety problems.

Commercial fishing has long ranked as one of the most deadly occupations in the nation. Plenty of people within the industry have bridled at regulations that have come about in recent decades, so it’s unusual to have some call for tougher oversight. But the North Pacific industry officials said in their letter that the two-year interval would do a much better job of overseeing safety and could save lives.

“Once every half decade is just a really bad idea,” said Chris Woodley, executive director of the Seattle-based Groundfish Forum and a member of the Coast Guard’s Fishing Vessel Safety Advisory Committee. He is one of 15 representatives of North Pacific fishery associations and seafood companies that have signed onto the protest letter sent this month to U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Paul Zukunft.

Read the full story at The Seattle Times

 

Coast Guard rescues 2 Maine fishermen whose boat sank

September 25, 2015 — BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine — Two fishermen were rescued Friday after their boat sank 50 miles east of Portland.

The Coast Guard said it received an emergency beacon signal about 3:30 p.m. from the fishing vessel Jeanne C.

The Coast Guard said it was unable to raise the crew by radio, so it dispatched two cutters, a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Boothbay Harbor and a helicopter from Cape Cod. The crew from Boothbay Harbor spotted a life raft with two men on it and took them to the pier in Boothbay Harbor, where they were met by an ambulance.

Read the full story at Portland Press Herald

 

RHODE ISLAND: Beaked whale dies in Provincetown Harbor

September 24, 2015 — PROVINCETOWN — A necropsy is planned for today at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on a rare beaked whale that was stranded and then died Wednesday afternoon in the west end of Provincetown Harbor.

The 14-foot beaked whale was reported by beach walkers to the U.S. Coast Guard as it was thrashing around at about 1:45 p.m., according to Doug Sandilands of the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown. The harbormaster staff, the police and the center’s staff went to the scene to assess the situation. At that time, the whale was alive and about a half mile east of the west end breakwater. At around 2:15 p.m the whale stopped breathing, but the rescuers waited more than an hour to see if it was actually dead. The whale’s body was then brought closer to shore, and then towed by boat to the east side of MacMillan Pier by Provincetown Harbormaster Rex McKinsey and his staff.

Read the full story at Cape Cod Times

Coast Guard looks for missing American

September 21, 2015 — U.S. authorities are investigating the disappearance of an American marine biologist who went missing at sea while serving as a monitor on a fishing boat off the coast of Peru.

Keith Davis, 41, was aboard the Panamanian flagged Victoria No. 168 to collect data and ensure the crew was adhering to international fishing guidelines. He was reported missing Sept. 10 when the boat was about 500 miles offshore.

Detectives from the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service and FBI agents were waiting for the Victoria when it docked in Vacamonte, Panama on Sunday evening, said Michael Berkow, director of the investigative service.

Berkow said the U.S. investigators are assisting with the probe at the request of Panamanian officials.

He said there is very little preliminary information surrounding the circumstances of Davis’ disappearance.

“He’s just gone,” Berkow said.

Friends, family and co-workers described Davis as a big-hearted, upbeat adventurer who was passionate about the ocean and conservation. They said he was also a seasoned sailor who, over nearly two decades as an observer, spent time on boats under all conditions in oceans around the world.

They have expressed skepticism that he was the victim of an accident and have been pressing for an investigation since learning of his disappearance.

Read the full story at CNN

 

Making the Seas Safer for Fishermen

July 30, 2015 — SITKA, Alaska — Ed Mertz likes to fish, but these days he won’t stray too far from shore. “I’m still kind of chicken,” he says as he casts weighted troll lines in an inlet close to his home in Sitka, in southeastern Alaska. “I look at that forecast, and if it’s not good, it’s like, I don’t want to go.” In 1983, Mertz, now 62, was working on a six-man fishing vessel when it ran aground, flooded, and sank in Alaskan waters. He and two fellow fishermen scrambled onto some rocks, where they spent a bitterly cold night huddled together in survival suits. The bodies of the three others were found the following day by a Coast Guard rescue helicopter.

Commercial fishing has for decades been among the most dangerous professions in America. The most recently available figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2013, show fishermen were about 36 times more likely to die on the job than the average worker. Yet government efforts to address the safety problems have been slow. “The administration and Congress haven’t done their job,” says J.J. Bartlett, president of the Fishing Partnership, an advocacy group representing commercial fishermen. “It’s meant that fishermen are dying unnecessarily.”

After Congress passed the 2010 Coast Guard Authorization Act, which updated fishing industry safety standards for the first time since 1988, activists like Bartlett were grateful their concerns were being taken seriously: Life rafts would be improved, safety training would become mandatory for fishing captains, and new boats would be built to standards set and verified by independent third parties called “class societies.”

Read the full story at Bloomberg Businessweek