June 20, 2024 — The United States Coast Guard completed their investigation into the loss of the commercial fishing vessel Mary B II on the Yaquina Bay Bar near Newport, Oregon, on January 8, 2019. After convening with the Board of Investigation, the Coast Guard announced that the capsizing was primarily the owner/ operator’s fault.
Captain Stephan Biernacki, 50, was from Barnegat Township, N.J., and was crossing the Bay Bar when the vessel capsized, causing the loss of the boat and its entire crew. He had fished on the east coast off from New Jersey but was new to Dungeness fishing in Oregon. The Coast Guard had reported that the Mary B II had faced seas of 14 to 16 feet, with some waves breaking as tall as 20 feet. They had tried to direct the crew as they noticed them approaching the bar, but it had been too late, and the conditions were not forgiving.