Saving Seafood

RHODE ISLAND: U.S. Coast Guard investigates report of diesel spill from vessel that ran aground in Narragansett

November 19, 2024 — The United States Coast Guard is investigating the report of diesel in Narragansett Bay around Austin Hollow after a vessel ran aground Monday morning.

Virginia Wave, a commercial fishing vessel, ran aground 1 nautical mile north of the Beavertail Light, and was reported listing, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Motor vessel Deep Cygnus responded and aided in the rescue of all four of Virginia Wave’s passengers, and the Jack M commercial fishing vessel took the passengers on board.

Later that morning, the Virginia Wave was able to successfully float due to the incoming tide and the crew was transferred back to the vessel.

During the Jamestown Police Marine’s initial response, units reported it noticed the smell of diesel and a visible sheen coming from the Virginia Wave.

Read the full article at ABC 6

Mayday at sea: How fishermen rely on distress calls for life-saving help

November 13, 2024 — In the summer of 2021, a mayday call went out from the captain aboard a fishing vessel who needed Narcan to help save a life due to an overdose on board. There happened to be another vessel in the vicinity that was able to respond, and they tossed a box of the over-the-counter drug on board. The captain administered several doses and was able to send his crew member back onshore alive.

While not all mayday calls result in a positive outcome, the use of the mayday distress call is important for fishermen to know.

In a life-threatening emergency situation, fishermen out to sea rely on the mayday distress call system for help. A mayday call informs the United States Coast Guard, local emergency officials and other fellow boaters of the need for help.

Read the full article at The Standard-Times

Coast Guard Seeks Public Comment Until Nov. 21 On Empire Wind 1

November 12, 2024 — The U.S. Coast Guard is currently seeking public comment regarding their installation of “temporary safety zones” for a wind farm off New York and New Jersey.

The proposed wind farm is Empire Wind 1, which would be located about 13 miles south of Long Island and 19.5 miles off Long Branch. It is highly unlikely that Empire Wind’s turbines will be seen from the shore; the proposed wind farm is located too far out.

The Coast Guard says they are required to set up temporary safety zones during construction. They propose establishing 55 temporary safety zones during the development of the Empire Wind 1 Wind Farm project area.

Read the full article at the Patch

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter combats illegal fishing in Pacific waters

October 4, 2024 — U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry crew traveled more than 7,600 nautical miles from the Hawaiian Islands to the west coast of Fiji where they began their patrol in support of Operation Blue Pacific — promoting security, safety, sovereignty, and economic prosperity in Oceania.

During their patrol, the cutter’s crew moored in Pago Pago, American Samoa, Nadi, Fiji, and Apia, Samoa.

In Apia, the crew participated in multiple community relations events, including subject matter exchanges with the First Canoe Club and the Paddling Club. During a Partnership in Education event at a local school, the Oliver Berry crew held a first aid and CPR demonstration, demonstrating basic life-saving techniques. The crew also hosted the entire Samoa School of Maritime Training to show the students life on the Oliver Berry and convey the cutter’s capabilities.

Read the full article at Samoa News

Chinese military vessels spotted in Alaskan waters, drawing US Coast Guard response

July 22, 2024 — On 6 and 7 July, the United States Coast Guard encountered three Chinese military ships in the Bering Sea near the U.S. state of Alaska in the U.S.’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The U.S. Coast Guard Kimball vessel reported detecting three Chinese vessels about 124 miles north of Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands, and an HC-130J aircrew from Kodiak Air Station detected another vessel about 84 miles north of Amukta Pass. All four of the Chinese vessels were transiting in international waters but still inside the U.S. EEZ, which extends 200 nautical miles from the U.S. coast.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Coast Guard Hears Vessel Transit Safety Concerns From Commercial Fishing Industry

April 30, 2024 — Roughly 14 miles from the nearest beach, in a semi-secluded Stockton University classroom, the impact of planned offshore wind power farms on the commercial fishing industry’s ability to safely navigate took center stage during a U.S. Coast Guard meeting soliciting feedback on its plan for safe shipping fairways along the eastern seaboard. Among the concerns raised are how the size, scope and proximity of wind farms will alter traffic flow on the water.

“We appreciate the fact that commercial fishing is still going to be allowed to occur within the fairways,” Scot Mackey, executive director of Garden State Seafood Association, said at the April 17 meeting. “We do question the decision with the design of the fairways and the collision analysis, whether or not the amount of lost fishing grounds and lost space that occur in the process has been included in the analysis.”

The association represents 1,200 commercial fishermen, supporting docks and supporting facilities. Mackey was one of 11 members of the public to address the Coast Guard during the 70-minute meeting.

A shipping safety fairway is a lane or corridor in which no fixed structure is permitted, setting aside areas of sufficient depth and dimensions to accommodate vessels and to allow for the orderly and safe movements of vessels transiting to or from ports. Safety fairways were identified in the Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study and are expected to safeguard reliable transit for vessels in an area with well-established traffic patterns and routes.

However, vessel operators would not be required to use the safety fairways.

“What is going to happen is the commercial fishing that is still being placed out there isn’t going to be able to happen,” Mackey said of areas the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has set aside in offshore wind lease zones. “The spacing of those turbines is too close. … We asked for transit lanes through most of them. We didn’t get it in the first four (offshore wind projects) off New Jersey. So, New Jersey’s scallop fishing will be impacted against the rest of the coast.”

Read the full article at The Sand Paper

MASSAHCUSETTS: USCG responds to fishing vessel that ran aground

February 5, 2024 — The United States Coast Guard responded to a fishing vessel that ran aground on Friday at Ballston Beach in Cape Cod.

The incident happened around 2:30 a.m. when USCG Sector SE New England was notified by the fishing vessel Miss Megan. There were three people onboard a the time.

USCG Station Province Town, USCG Air Station Cape Cod and USCG inspections and pollution response staff were called to the scene.

Read the full article at WPRI

Squid games on the high seas as U.S. Coast Guard monitors Chinese fishing vessels

December 24, 2023 — Squid, which can weigh over a 100 pounds and are a vital source of food and jobs, are pursued by fishermen up and down the South American coast as they migrate each year. And wherever they go, China’s “squid jiggers” can be found.

Fishing is a multibillion-dollar industry, and China’s fleets dominate the Pacific Ocean. Operating thousands of miles from home, they have helped make the country one of biggest exporters of seafood in the world, as well as the worst-scoring nation when it comes to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Since late last year however, Chinese vessels have been subject to inspections from the U.S. Coast Guard, which has been empowered by measures introduced by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO), a 14-member, intergovernmental body that aims to ensure sustainable fishing in the South Pacific Ocean.

Read the full article at NBC News

Limits on ratio of fisherman decried

November 17, 2023 — Gloucester Capt. Salvatore “Sam” Novello just wants to fish.

Novello, who has fished the waters off Gloucester for most of his life, is saying while he can fish, some foreign-born fishermen cannot.

A member of the Gloucester Fisheries Commission, Novello said this week the U.S. Coast Guard has recently begun to strictly enforce a rule that limits the number of immigrants who are allowed to fish.

The measure, the 75-25 rule, requires that 75% of those crews fishing must be American while only 25% can be foreign. In other words, for every four fishermen, three must be native born and only one can hail from another country.

Read the full article at Gloucester Daily Times

US Coast Guard opens IUU Fisheries Center covering Indo-Pacific, ups patrols off Peru

November 13, 2023 — The U.S. Coast Guard is taking more aggressive action to police the Pacific Ocean in an effort to curb illegal fishing conducted by China’s distant-water fleet.

The USCG has opened the Illegal Unreported Unregulated Fisheries Center of Expertise (IUUF COE) in Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A., to serve as the center for U.S. efforts to combat illegal fishing activity in the Indo-Pacific region. It also created a specialized environmental response unit, the Marine Environmental Response Regional Activities Center (MER RAC), to advise partner nations in preventing and countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in their home waters. And it recently completed an operation to counter IUU fishing off the coast of Peru.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource