Saving Seafood

Fishing boat captain braves rough waters to save crewman

July 27, 2017 — The captain of a fishing boat “didn’t hesitate” and jumped into choppy, 47-degree water to save a crewman after their commercial vessel capsized off the coast of Alaska.

Amid 17-mph winds and 5-foot seas in the Kupreanof Strait near Raspberry Island — about 250 miles southwest of Anchorage — the captain, Christian Trosvig, and three crew members aboard the Grayling starting taking on water at about 3:30 p.m. Monday, according to a statement released Tuesday by the Coast Guard.

A nearby vessel, the Calista Marie, spotted the Grayling in trouble and notified Coast Guard officials — who were nearby on a training mission and arrived just in time to see Trosvig leap into the perilous waters to help an overboard crewman.

“That fisherman didn’t hesitate,” said Lt. Kevin Riley, an MH-60 Jayhawk pilot. “It is a testament to how tough those fishermen are and how far they will go to help fellow Alaskans.”

The captain of the Calista Marie, Dale Pruitt, told the Alaska Dispatch News that he noticed “something was wrong with the Grayling” when its stern sunk below the water’s surface.

Read and watch the full story at the New York Post

Commerce Committee Advances Coast Guard Authorization

May 19, 2017 — The following was released by the Office of U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan:

U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, today thanked his colleagues on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for advancing the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2017, legislation introduced by Senator Sullivan.

“The men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard do an outstanding job protecting the homeland and responding to crises on a moment’s notice,” said Senator Sullivan. “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead this year’s Coast Guard Authorization, giving our Coast Guard the resources and training they need to complete the many diverse missions they are tasked with. The legislation also includes a number of provisions addressing the priorities and concerns of Alaskans, including relieving unnecessary burdens on fishermen and boat operators, exploring better ways to monitor illegal and unreported fishing, and advancing the Coast Guard’s ability to operate in the Arctic.”

Read the full release here

Fishermen work to get Trump’s attention on Thames River

May 18, 2017 — Supporters of President Trump are gathering in southeastern Connecticut Wednesday. Among them are a group of fishermen who organized on the Thames River.

These fishing vessels were on a different kind of mission. News 8 was on board the Tradition, a 70 foot vessel that is one of more than 25 boats out trying to get the president’s attention hoping for change to what they say are outdated and over regulated rules that could eventually kill the fishing industry here in New England.

The vessels set out from Stonington at around 8 a.m. for the one hour sail to the Thames River. The Tradition works out of Rhode Island but the boats there Wednesday also came from Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts.

Aaron Williams, the Captain of the Tradition, has been a fishermen since 1998 but has been out on the water since he was 5-years-old. This is his families’ business, their livelihood and he doesn’t argue that regulations were needed two decades ago when inventory was low. But, he says after decades of responsible and regulated fishing, it’s time to change things again so the industry can survive.

“We never ever want to see unregulated fishing because we know where that goes; but what we would like to see is more participation from us in the management process. We’re not in it to catch the last fish that would be pointless.” said Williams.

Read the full story at WTNH

Rhode Island fishermen ask President Trump to deregulate commercial fishing industry

May 18, 2017 — Local fishermen are asking President Donald Trump to deregulate the commercial fishing industry, complaining that quotas are hurting their bottom lines.

A group of Rhode Island fishermen left Point Judith early Wednesday morning to sail to New London, Conn., for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduation. The flotilla, joined by Rhode Island GOP National Committeewoman Lee Ann Sennick, also included fishermen from New York and Connecticut.

“It’s just a very disheartening feeling,” said Aaron Williams, the captain of the Tradition. He was one of the fishermen from Point Judith. “It’s kind of a frustrating thing to see certain species of fish that have rebounded as much as they have, and every year we keep getting stuff taken away from us.”

With signs reading “Please help us” and “Make commercial fishing great again,” the fishermen hoped to catch President Trump’s eye as he arrived at the commencement.

The group says fishing quotas and limits are unnecessary. They also say wind farms and sanctuaries greatly limit where they can practice their trade.

“We’re just trying to let [President Trump] know there is an ocean full of fish out here and the fish have been rebuilt, and we are forced to throw them over dead all day in the name of conservation,” said Brian Loftes, another commercial fisherman. “In the meantime, we’re slowly going out of business because these boats are expensive to run.”

Conservationists, however, warn that getting rid of quotas could disrupt the delicate ecosystems of the ocean.

“I think it would be devastating to the industry if we saw regulations go away,” said Michael Jarbeau, the Baykeeper at Save the Bay. His organization advocates to protect Narragansett Bay. “If there were no quotas, it’s extremely possible that we would see fish stocks become depleted,” he said.

Read the full story at WPRI

Senators still wary of Coast Guard budget cuts

March 24, 2017 — Senators who pushed back against an early Trump administration idea for cutting the Coast Guard are still on guard for what the budget process may bring.

Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft testified Wednesday before the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, stressing again the Coast Guard’s far-forward strategy for protecting the nation’s sea frontier.

“We push our maritime borders thousands of miles beyond Mexico,” Zukunft said, recounting a past year that brought in a record 201 metric tons of cocaine intercepted at sea. It was more than the total of all seizures on land by law enforcement combined, but admittedly a fraction of what gets through.

A deficit in surveillance, ships and aircraft assets resulted in just 30% of smuggling operations being pursued, while another 580 suspected operations could not be challenged, Zukunft said.

The commandant was talking to a friendly audience, lawmakers who beat back an early trial balloon from the Office of Management and Budget that sought a $1.3 billion cut in Coast Guard spending, including maritime security teams and axing the ninth National Security Cutter.

Read the full story at WorkBoat

Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan say no to Coast Guard cuts proposed by White House

March 13, 2017 — WASHINGTON — Alaska’s Republican senators won’t support proposed major budget cuts for the U.S. Coast Guard, they told the White House Office of Management and Budget in a letter following reports of major cuts in President Donald Trump’s draft budget.

Several national outlets have reported on a draft White House budget request to Congress that includes $1.3 billion cut from the Coast Guard’s $9.1 billion budget. The Coast Guard cut is reportedly aimed at helping pay for a wall on the southern border shared with Mexico.

Alaska Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski and Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker were the only three Republicans among 23 senators to sign the letter. The rest were Democrats.

Cutting into the Coast Guard budget could mean a far lower chance of bolstering the dwindling U.S. fleet of icebreakers, at a time when shipping traffic is increasing in the Arctic. Senators warned this is not the time to “kick the can down the road” on the Coast Guard’s aging fleet.

“We strongly urge you to refrain from any such cuts. The Coast Guard budget has suffered a steady decline since 2010, which resulted in negative impacts to Coast Guard missions, infrastructure, delays in necessary recapitalization efforts, and has generally constrained Coast Guard operations,” the senators wrote in a letter to OMB Director John Mulvaney.

Sullivan’s office was involved in crafting the letter, which was ultimately released by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington.

Read the full story at Alaska Dispatch News

A Ship, a Crew and a $7 Billion Fishery

January 3, 2017 — The sea and sky are dark. One fades into the other. The bright deck lights of a foreign fishing boat are the only horizon reference. Roughly 70-feet in length, at two miles away, the boat appears as a dot. “Set LE Phase 1,” rings out over the 1MC, the ship’s on board intercom system.

I’m aboard the mighty warship Sequoia, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender homeported in Apra Harbor, Guam – America’s westernmost territory. Out in the Philippine Sea, standing on the buoy deck I can feel the ship roll gently under my feet as we transit toward the fishing boat.

It’s 2000 hours, the sun has long since set, but I can still feel residual heat from the metal decks and bulkheads of the ship radiate up at me. The moist sea air wraps around me in a wet bear hug, and I can feel my body armor secured over my t-shirt cling to me. Droplets of sweat escape from my hairline under my helmet. We’ve been over the plan, briefed the evolution, attempted to hail the vessel master in Mandarin and English, done our risk analysis to assess complexity and overall safety, and now it’s time to go.

The sound of the water is interrupted by the unmistakable mechanical hums and chirps of outboard engines. The cutter’s small boat, piloted by a boatswain’s mate, comes alongside the buoy deck prepared to take us aboard and transport us to the fishing boat.

One by one the boarding team goes over the side: four Coast Guard members and an Australian Fisheries Management Authority officer; Lydia Woodhouse. The ship is running nearly dark. A faint red glow can be seen on the bridge. The running lights of the small boat wink at me red and green. It’s my turn. Senior Chief Petty Officer Ryan Petty, who runs the deck force, stands next to the Jacob’s ladder. A flashlight in his hand with a red lens lights the flat orange rungs of the ladder as they knock against the black hull and leads to the water and the small boat more than 10 feet below.

I step gingerly onto a bitt on Sequoia’s deck just below the gunwale, adjacent to where the ladder is secured. I heave myself over the side and onto the ladder, a vice-like grip on the top of the gunwale. “Snaps, over the side!” calls Petty into his radio up to the bridge. The small boat rises and falls with the swell beneath my feet. Nearly to the bottom, the boat drops just as I let go of the ladder. The hand of a boat crewman and engineer, Petty Officer 2nd Class Scott Peterson, grabs the loop of my backpack. “Snaps in the boat,” calls Petty.

As I move to the side and take a seat on the sponson, I hear: “Semper Fi over the side. Semper Fi in the boat.” Lance Cpl. Brian Martin, our Mandarin Chinese speaking linguist, takes a seat next to me in his Marine Corps fatigues, bright orange lifejacket and helmet. With our team assembled, we depart from Sequoia and head toward the light on the horizon.

Read the full story at the Maritime Executive

Congressmen Seek Investigation Of Hawaii Fishing Practices

December 14, 2016 — Four Democratic congressmen have written to officials at the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration claiming that Hawaii’s longline fishing fleet is operating illegally by employing — and in some cases possibly abusing — foreign fishermen.

The congressmen said fishing boat owners who are not in “compliance with the law” should not be allowed to sell their products.

Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva’s staff convened a forum about the matter on Capitol Hill last week. Activists at the event, who described what was happening as modern-day slavery, advocated a boycott of tuna until the alleged abuses stop.

The letter was signed by Grijalva, ranking Democratic member of the Natural Resources Committee; Jared Huffman of California, ranking Democratic member of the Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee; Peter DeFazio of Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the  Transportation Committee and Infrastructure; and John Garamendi of California, ranking Democratic member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee.

It was addressed to Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, and Kathryn Sullivan, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, and was delivered Monday.

“This illegal activity does not represent American values and has dealt a blow to U.S. credibility as a global leader in fighting (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing and human trafficking,” the congressmen wrote.

John P. Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute, a trade group, told Civil Beat the industry is looking forward to the response by the Coast Guard and NOAA, saying that it would allow a “clarification” of employment law affecting foreign fishermen working in Hawaii.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat

Police: Man swept out to sea while fishing in Gloucester

November 9th, 2016 — A man was swept out to sea Tuesday afternoon while fishing near Rafes Chasm in Gloucester, police said in a statement. Multiple agencies are engaged in a search for the man.

Around 3 p.m., a man called 911 and told police he was fishing with another man when a large wave crashed into them, sending the other man into the water.

A search and rescue effort, involving Gloucester police and fire, state police, Massachusetts Environmental Police, U.S. Coast Guard, and Gloucester Harbor Master, is underway to locate the Boston man, who is in his 30s.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe 

HAWAII: There’s A Big Mess At The Papahanaumokuakea Monument

October 7, 2016 — Kure Atoll, a speck of land in a federally protected marine area nearly 1,400 miles northwest of Honolulu, provides a safe haven for seabirds, rare fish, endangered seals and coral reefs.

And now, at least until a salvage operation can occur, it’s also home to an 8,000-pound excavator, which is leaking fuel, a roll of chain-link fencing, hunks of metal and broken glass that fell into the water when the boat carrying it capsized a quarter-mile offshore.

Two of the nine people aboard the 33-foot landing craft were injured in the Sept. 2 incident, which remains under investigation. They were treated and released by a doctor at nearby Midway Atoll.

The accident offers a rare look at some of the work being done inside Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument — a nearly 600,000-square-mile area around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands that’s off-limits to anyone without a special permit for conservation, education, research or cultural purposes.

President Barack Obama quadrupled the monument’s size in late August, making it the world’s largest protected marine area. The day before the vessel capsized he flew to nearby Midway Atoll to highlight the monument’s importance in protecting natural resources, fighting climate change and preserving heritage sites, which include sunken ships at Kure.

Employees of Element Environmental, a Hawaii environmental and engineering firm contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, were working on a nearly $1.5 million project at Kure Atoll that involved digging up 400 to 600 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soil from an old U.S. Coast Guard dump site near the shoreline and reburying it in a more secure spot near the center of Green Island, the atoll’s largest land mass at six miles wide.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat