Safety

March 13, 2015 — The Coast Guard rescued a stranded fishing vessel 32 miles east of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Wednesday.

Watchstanders at Sector Southeast New England in Woods Hole, Massachusetts received a distress call via channel 16 VHF from the five-person crew aboard the 75-foot scallop vessel Hunter, that they were adrift without power after their main engine failed.

The Coast Guard attempted to reach nearby mariners to assist the Hunter, but none were able. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tybee, a 110-foot patrol boat from Woods Hole launched, arrived on scene, and took the Hunter in tow toward Nantucket Sound.

Read the full story at Cape Cod Today

March 2, 2015 — Icebound fishing vessels in Bremen got a helping hand from the U.S. Coast Guard when the Rockland-based cutter Tackle came to town on an ice-breaking mission Feb. 24.

The 65-foot small harbor ice breaker was operating near the Bremen Lobster Pound Co-Op in the early afternoon after requests for ice-breaking in that area, according to Lt. David Bourbeau, chief of the Waterways Management Division for Coast Guard Sector Northern New England.

The Tackle was headed to Friendship on Feb. 24 to break out the fishing fleet there when requests for assistance in Bremen came in, according to Bourbeau.

Breaking loose a wide swath of ice, the Tackle appeared to free five vessels near the co-op before heading south and apparently away from Bremen.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

WOODS HOLE, Mass. — March 2, 2015 — For the second time in two days, the icy waters off Cape Cod have stranded a fishing crew.

The Coast Guard said that at about 3 p.m. Saturday, the four-person crew on the Capt. RM Chase called for help after getting stuck in ice while heading back to New Bedford from a fishing trip.

Read the full story from CBS Boston

 

February 14, 2015 — Rescuers on Saturday reached a fishing boat with 26 people aboard trapped in ice near Antarctica and plan to use an unmanned underwater vehicle to assess the damage to it.

The U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star traveled several hundred nautical miles through heavy ice to reach the Antarctic Chieftan.

Authorities said the Australian fishing boat suffered damage to three of its four propeller blades and lost its ability to maneuver after becoming stuck in the ice Wednesday.

Polar Star Commanding Officer Capt. Matthew Walker said in a statement that the conditions were more formidable than expected, with heavy snow and large icebergs. "We are on scene and progressing well with the rescue," he said.

Once the Polar Star breaks the ice around the fishing boat, the Coast Guard crew will lower a remotely operated vehicle into the water for a better look at the boat's propeller blades.

The plan is then for the Polar Star to free the fishing boat, and, if necessary, tow it from the ice field.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New York Daily News

 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] — February 12, 2015 — A U.S. Coast Guard cutter is responding to a 207-foot fishing vessel with 27 people aboard beset in ice approximately 900 miles northeast of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, Tuesday at 9:15 p.m.

The Australian-flagged fishing vessel, Antarctic Chieftain, contacted Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand after becoming beset in ice. The vessel suffered damage to three of its four propellers when it became stuck in the ice and has lost its ability to maneuver.

RCC New Zealand diverted U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, homeported in Seattle, to respond to the Antarctic Chieftain’s position. The 150-person crew of Polar Star was deployed to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, as part of Operation Deep Freeze, which provides military logistical support to the U.S. Antarctic Program managed by the National Science Foundation.

“The seas of Antarctica are treacherous and unforgiving,” said U.S. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Charles W. Ray, the commander of Pacific Area. “This incident is a sobering reminder of the importance of the U.S. icebreaker fleet as we see increased human activity in the Polar Regions.”

The crew had just completed their mission at McMurdo Station when they diverted to aid the vessel in distress. Polar Star will steam more than 330 miles to reach the vessel. In order to reach the fishing vessel, the cutter’s crew will have to break through several miles of nine-foot thick ice, endure 35 mph winds and navigate through heavy snowfall to reach the Antarctic Chieftain. The crew of Polar Star is scheduled to reach the Antarctic Chieftain Thursday at approximately 10 p.m.

Polar Star’s crew will free the Antarctic Chieftain from the ice, and the New Zealand-flagged fishing vessel Janas is schedule to escort or tow the vessel to the nearest safe harbor once it’s freed. Janas is approximately 600-miles away from the Antarctic Chieftain’s position.

“The considerable geographic distances and extreme environmental conditions make this a complex rescue mission; however, we’re confident in our ability to reach the Antarctic Chieftain and committed to ensuring the safety of life at sea no matter the challenges,” said Capt. Matthew Walker, commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star.

The Polar Star is nearly 40-years old and the nation’s only heavy icebreaker capable of operating in the thick Antarctic ice for a mission such as breaking out the Antarctic Chieftain or clearing McMurdo Sound for the critical annual resupply of McMurdo Station. The 399-foot cutter is one of the largest ships in the Coast Guard and one of the world's most powerful non-nuclear icebreakers.

Maritime New Zealand manages RCC New Zealand, which is responsible for all major maritime and aviation search and rescue missions within New Zealand’s search and rescue region. Maritime New Zealand is responsible for search and rescue, maritime environmental protection, maritime transportation and numerous other maritime missions in New Zealand.

This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

January 15, 2015 — The things that make winter a great time to be on the water can turn against you in a hurry.

Winter can be a great time to fish. In Brunswick County, the temperature usually climbs into at least the 50s during the day, so it doesn’t feel oppressively cold, and you often have the ocean to yourself.

However, the things that make winter a great time to be on the water can turn against you in a hurry. 

Remember that the water temperature will most likely be in the 50s or high 40s, and water saps heat from a human body much more quickly than air does. Hypothermia can set in for a wet/chilled angler in a hurry.

Read the full story from the North Carolina Sportsman

 

January 13, 2015 — The following was released by the US Coast Guard:

A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced an ailing fisherman from the fishing vessel Irene H in the Shelikof Strait near Kodiak Island Tuesday.

The Jayhawk crew rendezvoused with the Irene H, safely hoisted the man aboard the helicopter and transported him to awaiting emergency medical services in Kodiak for further care.

Coast Guard 17th District command center watchstanders received a request for assistance from the crew of Irene H when the fisherman aboard the vessel reportedly suffered an abdominal injury while pulling in crab pots and required medical assistance.  The duty flight surgeon recommended the medevac and the Jayhawk crew was launched to conduct the rescue.

"The operation was challenging from the start," said Lt. Greg Dahl, pilot of the Jayhawk. "The dynamic weather conditions made for a rough ride but once on scene, the captain and crew of the vessel were very cooperative which enabled us to smoothly execute a successful rescue."

Weather on scene at the time of the incident was reported as 25 mph winds and 7-foot seas.

Read the release here

January 5, 2014 — "Because these fish were reportedly purchased in the United States, they pose a substantial U.S. public health hazard given the potency of the toxin and the high levels of toxin found in the fish," Deeds and colleagues wrote.

The brother and sister showed up in the emergency room with odd symptoms – numb teeth, weakness and, most frightening, troubled breathing. They'd eaten banned, deadly poisonous pufferfish.

There wasn't much the busy Minneapolis emergency room team could do, but they kept an eye on the two, who helpfully brought in samples of the toxic fish they'd eaten. Once it was clear they were not going to die, both left, against medical advice, and disappeared.

The fish they ate was an extremely poisonous species of pufferfish – related to an Asian delicacy widely known as fugu. The 30-year-old man and his 33-year-old sister told doctors they'd bought the dried fish in New York and brought it back to Minneapolis as a treat.

Read the full story from NBC News 

 

CUTLER, Maine — December 29, 2014 — Two men were rescued Monday from a rocky ledge in the ocean after their urchin diving boat capsized off Cutler, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

The fishermen, Carroll Perry and James Johnson, both of Addison, were fishing not far from the mouth of Little Machias Bay around noon when a wave swamped Johnson’s 25-foot inboard boat, sending both men into the icy water, Jeff Nichols, communications director for the Department of Marine Resources, stated in a news release.

Perry and Johnson braved the water and swam 400 feet to a nearby ledge, where rescuers later found them, according to Nichols.

According to Maine Marine Patrol Sgt. Colin MacDonald, upon reaching the ledge, Johnson, who was wearing a dive suit, covered Perry, who was wearing plain clothes, with rockweed to protect him from the cold wind. At the time, the temperature was recorded at 26 degrees.

Read the full story from the Bangor Daily News

Read a related release from The Maine Department of Marine Resources

VINALHAVEN, Maine — December 16, 2014 — A father and son were forced to swim a few hundred yards to shore after a swiftly moving fire engulfed their vessel.

David Anthony and son Blake Anthony were resting Tuesday afternoon after the ordeal.

Vinalhaven Fire Chief Marc Candage said the two men were fortunate to have survived swimming a long distance in such cold waters. The water temperature was about 47 degrees on Tuesday, according to Maine Department of Marine Resources director of communications Jeff Nichols.

The fire chief said the Anthonys reported that the 25-foot lobster boat, called the Midnight Rider, had engine trouble earlier in the day but they believed they had repaired the problem. About an hour later, the two men heard a loud “poof” and then fire quickly spread. The fire moved so quickly that they were unable to get to the fire extinguisher or the survival suits.

Read the full story form the Bangor Daily News