January 6, 2020 โ The sinking of the crab boat Scandies Rose, which left five crew members presumed dead off the Alaska Peninsula on New Yearโs Eve, comes after a decades-long push to make commercial fishing in Alaska safer. Regulation changes have helped drive more safety measures for the historically lucrative industry, but some dangers remain inherent, said Scott Wilwert, the commercial fishing vessel safety coordinator for the Coast Guard in Alaska.
โThe hazards are endless,โ Wilwert said. Equipment, distance from other boats and harrowing weather all pose dangers.
The sinking of the 130-foot Scandies Rose sent a shock wave through Alaskaโs commercial fishing industry, especially among those in the relatively small group that fishes the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.
Greg Alexander, a veteran of those waters, was a close friend of Scandies Rose captain Gary Cobban Jr. He said Cobban Jr. was a โfirst-classโ captain with a sterling safety reputation who ran with an experienced crew.