May 24, 2021 — Two fishermen were rescued from the water in Gloucester after a wave swept them off the rocks, according to officials.
Several people were fishing at Rafe’s Chasm Saturday when two men were knocked off by a wave. Two other people with them dove in the water to help, and managed to bring one of the victims safely back to shore.
The second man, however, was pushed further into the ocean, prompting a response from authorities.
May 3, 2021 — The Maine Fishermen’s Forum is hosting a safety seminar on May 4. The seminar will be 90 minutes long and include several guest speakers.
“In the last fifteen months, Maine’s fishing community lost eight men to several fishing related tragedies. Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations in America,” the forum wrote on the event posting. “There are several simple precautions which dramatically improve your chances of surviving an accident at sea and coming home safely to your family.”
This roundtable discussion will be hosted by Maggie Raymond of Associated Fisheries of Maine and panelists include U.S. Coast Guard Commander Jason Boyer, Brian Smith, a commercial fishing vessel examiner and Mike Russo, a fishing accident survivor.
May 3, 2021 — Five fishermen were rescued from a burning boat off the Cape Cod waters Friday night.
The Coast Guard responded to an emergency notification from the 100-foot fishing vessel about 85 miles east of Cape Cod around 5p.m.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, rescue crews arrived on scene to find the bow and wheelhouse of the vessel engulfed in flames and all five fishermen on the stern. An air crew hoisted the fishermen to safety.
March 5, 2021 — Every time wild-caught fish is bought at a restaurant, store or waterfront dock, there is a one in five chance that it was caught outside of the law, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated – IUU – fishing is a growing issue worldwide. The global, economic and environmental effects are catastrophic, with coastlines around Latin America being some of the most impacted.
Recently during a telephonic press briefing, United States Coast Guard Vice Admiral Steven Poulin spoke on the urgency of the matter and the role the Coast Guard is playing in addressing this problem.
“IUU fishing undermines coastal state sovereignty,” Poulin said. “We in the Coast Guard are putting our strategies to address this problem into action.”
Southern Command is also making IUU fishing one of its priorities. At the IUU Fishing Conference on Feb. 3, Southern Command and other key groups emphasized the need for international cooperation, collaboration, leveraged technology, and transparency. Hosted by FIU’s Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, the conference reached more than 3,000 viewers from more than 49 countries.
March 4, 2021 — The Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.-based Coast Guard cutter Kimball wrapped up a two-week expeditionary patrol in support of counter-illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fisheries enforcement, “furthering the United States’ commitment to regional security and partnerships,” according to Coast Guard officials.
The Kimball is one of the newest national security cutters to be home-ported in Hawaii. The advanced 418-foot ships displace 4,600 long tons. With a top speed in excess of 28 knots and a range of 12,000 nautical miles, it can maintain patrols up to 90 days, carrying a crew of up to 150.
February 26, 2021 — The Honolulu-based Coast Guard cutter Kimball wrapped up a two-week expeditionary patrol in support of counter-illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries enforcement, “furthering the United States’ commitment to regional security and partnerships,” according to Coast Guard officials.
The Kimball is one of the newest national security cutters to be homeported in Hawaii. The advanced 418-foot ships displace 4,600 long tons displacement. With a top speed in excess of 28 knots and range of 12,000 nautical miles, they can maintain patrols up to 90 days, carrying a crew of up to 150.
The Kimball deployment was part of Operation Blue Pacific, with goals of maintaining stability and security throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The crew is trained in “targeted and intelligence-driven enforcement actions as well as counter predatory irresponsible maritime behavior,” according to the Coast Guard.
While patrolling 3,600 miles in the Philippine Sea, the Kimball’s law enforcement team conducted its first ever at-sea boarding. The mission included multilateral fisheries enforcement on behalf of international management groups such as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.
February 23, 2021 — A two-week federal inquiry into the fatal sinking of the F/V Scandies Rose — lost on New Year’s Eve 2019 west of Kodiak Island — opens today in Seattle.
The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies will hold a virtual formal hearing to consider evidence related to the sinking of the Dutch Harbor-based fishing vessel until March 5.
The 130-foot crab boat sank near Sutwik Island, Alaska around 10 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2019 with seven crew members aboard. Two fishermen were rescued wearing gumby survival suits in a life raft, but five others were never found.
The search spanned over 20 hours, 1,400 square miles, and included four MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews, two HC-130 Hercules airplane crews and crew aboard the Coast Guard cutter Mellon.
The hearing will focus on the conditions before and at the time of the sinking, the Coast Guard said in a statement. This will include weather, icing, fisheries, the boat’s condition, owner and operator dynamics, the regulatory compliance record of the vessel and testimony from the survivors and others.
February 19, 2021 — Trident Seafoods lost one of its fleet overnight after a massive fire broke out while the ship was docked at the Port of Tacoma on Wednesday night.
Tacoma firefighters battled the fire into Thursday.
The vessel, the 233-foot Alaskan fish processor Aleutian Falcon, was moored at Trident Seafoods on Pier 12 near the mouth of the Hylebos Waterway.
On Thursday, Trident Seafoods told The News Tribune in an emailed statement: “The Aleutian Falcon, the company’s smallest seasonal processing vessel, was a total loss to the fire.”
The company said no one was injured.
“We are grateful to the Tacoma Fire Department for their swift response and watch on scene, and that no one was injured,” said Trident CEO Joe Bundrant in Thursday’s statement. “We will conduct a full investigation of cause.”
The Aleutian Falcon is moored at Trident’s Tacoma facility between its time in Alaska supporting summer salmon fisheries. When operating, the vessel with a crew of 120 supplemented Trident’s shore-based and larger processing vessel operations throughout Alaska, according to the company.
February 17, 2021 — Fishermen must wear masks while they are underway, even while sleeping, and the Coast Guard intends to enforce it.
That’s an edict issued as a public health emergency by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a Marine Safety Bulletin issued on Feb. 1. It requires the wearing of masks at all times in U.S. waters on all commercial vessels “when boarding, disembarking, and for the duration of travel” to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The action states that “conveyance operators traveling into or within the U.S. may transport only persons wearing masks and must use best efforts to ensure that masks are worn.”
Best efforts include allowing entry to a vessel only to those who wear masks, instructing persons that failure to comply constitutes a violation of federal law, and removing any person who refuses to comply. Exemptions apply to children under 2 years old, a person with a disability who cannot safely wear a mask or a person for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to workplace health, safety or job duty, or if an operator is “the sole occupant of the vehicle.”
February 17, 2021 — It was a hectic and hazardous opening weekend for commercial crab fishermen and the Coast Guard monitoring the fleet.
Commercial crabbing kicked off in Washington with a majority of fishermen dropping their first load of pots late last week for a 73-hour day soak period.
Fishermen reported encountering challenging conditions during their initial trips offshore with rogue waves, freezing rain and dense fog combined with usual turbulence of crossing the Columbia River Bar in boats loaded with crab pots.
Fishermen described the opening weekend conditions as “gnarly,” “brutal,” and in some instances “the worst they’ve ever seen.” One said he was simply grateful there weren’t any deaths despite some close calls.