Search Results for: Caledonian

Capsizing and loss of life – Fishing vessel Caledonian Marine Investigation Report M15P0286

On 05 September 2015, at approximately 1530 Pacific Daylight Time, the fishing vessel Caledonian capsized 20 nautical miles west of Nootka Sound, British Columbia. At the time, the vessel was trawling for hake with 4 crew members on board. Following the capsizing, the master and mate climbed onto the overturned hull and remained there for several hours. When the vessel eventually sank, the master and mate abandoned it, and the mate swam toward and boarded the life raft. The Canadian Coast Guard subsequently rescued the mate and recovered the bodies of the master and the 2 other crew members. History of the voyage – On 27 August 2015, after the Caledonian had returned to Port Hardy, British Columbia, following a groundfish fishing trip, the crew began preparing the vessel to switch fisheries from groundfish to hake. They topped up the fuel and water tanks to the predetermined levels and the regular master gave a brief handover to the engineer, who was taking over as master. The handover briefing focused on loading practices for hake. The master described the vessel’s departure condition, explaining that the 2 forward fish holds and the 2 aft fish holds were to be filled with seawater and that 2 tons of ice (no seawater) were to be stowed in each centre hold. Read the full report here 15:38

An Update on the Caledonian Family Relief Fund.

866f439b-ce51-47b7-a623-4f82bcfefee4_profileOn December 17th we posted There appears to be a problem with the Caledonian Tragedy Family Relief Fund. We said inquiry’s  would be made, and we did inquire! We received a response from you caring on Dec 18, saying they would investigate the status of the fund. Calls were made to the company for comment, but we got dumped at the voicemail of the company attorney, with no response. Today, an article (damage control) was posted at undercurrent via seafoodnews.com that the funds will be released. When we post a fundraiser for people in need, we expect those funds to be distributed, otherwise we certainly wouldn’t post them. I believe this would still be in limbo if we didn’t dog them. Merry Christmas to the surviving loved ones of this tragedy.

Pacific Seafood Group, the parent company of Vancouver Island, Canada-based S&S Seafood and Ucluelet Harbor Seafood, announced on Dec. 23 that a fundraiser for the families of the crew lost on Caledonian has raised over CAD 100,000. The 33-meter trawler sank on Sept. 5, 2015 resulting in the deaths of skipper Wesley Hagglund, engineer Keith Standing, and deckhand Doug White. Standing and White were both from Port Alberni. Hagglund was from Duncan. A fourth crew member survived. Read the article here 16:40

There appears to be a problem with the Caledonian Tragedy Family Relief Fund

866f439b-ce51-47b7-a623-4f82bcfefee4_profileWhen tragedy struck off the coast of Vancouver Island, many people came forward to support the victims, the family’s of the fishermen, in their time of need. After receiving a call from one of them last evening, I am relaying my concerns. One of these lady’s has not received her husbands last settlement. Her lights are about to be shut off. It seems that two of these lady’s have not received any of the funds from this fundraiser, which appears to have expired when clicking on the link. Link to the post is here, and it has the link attached to You Caring site. Inquiry’s will be made. 09:29

Caledonian Tragedy Family Relief Fund – For: Wes Hegglund, Keith Standing, Doug White

This fund has been established for the families of the three fishermen who lost their lives on September 5, 2015, when the fishing vessel Caledonian sank off the coast of Vancouver Island. Veteran Skipper Wes Hegglund, age 55, and Engineer Keith Standing, age 48, and Doug White, age 41, were all from Vancouver Island. Their loss has been a heartbreaking tragedy for their families, colleagues, and the entire community. Pacific Seafood, the crew’s employer and owner of the Caledonian, will match 100 percent of all donations made on this site. All proceeds will be donated to the immediate surviving family members. Click here to donate 22:28

Commercial fisherman remembers 3 colleagues who died when their boat, the Caledonian, capsized

A crew member from the sister ship of the one that capsized off Vancouver Island over the weekend, is speaking out about the loss of three men and the decision that saved a fourth man’s life.  “They were good, hardworking family-loving men who unfortunately aren’t going to make it home tonight,” said one fisherman who did not want to be identified. He has worked on both and its sister ship, the Viking Storm. The Caledonian is the boat that capsized. Captain Wes Hegglend and two other crew members died when the Caledonian experienced what is believed to be some kind of stabilization issue and capsized. Video interview Read the rest here 07:21

UPDATED: Commercial Fishing Vessel Caledonian capsizes off Tofino, B.C., three dead

A commercial fishing boat capsized off the coast of Vancouver Island overnight Saturday, killing at least two men. The boat capsized about 50 kilometres west of Tofino, B.C., according to Lieutenant Nicole Murillo, with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. The cause of the accident was not immediately known, Murillo said. Three Coast Guard boats and a helicopter continued to search for a third person Sunday. Rescue crews located one survivor, who was found wearing a life jacket and floating on a safety raft. He was taken to a Victoria hospital by cruise ship. Read the rest here 16:08

Last Voyage of Two Irish Fishing Vessels Before Break-Up in Denmark

Two Aran Island fishing vessels which were approved for Irelands decommissioning scheme, recently completed their last trip before being broken up. The 17-metre Connacht Ranger and the 20-metre Conquest were photographed on their journey from Ireland to Denmark. Skipper-owner John Conneely, from the Aran Island of Inis Mór, opted to take the vessels to Denmark for scrapping. “Beautiful but poignant images of MFV Connacht Ranger and Conquest waiting to go up Neptune’s Staircase on the Caledonian Canal en route to Denmark for decommissioning. A stairway to heaven of sorts for two boats whose time is sadly up,” read a post on Twitter by Conneely’s partner, Mary-Frances Beatty.Photos,  >click to read< 20:14

Baby eels remain one of America’s most valuable fish after strong year in Maine

Baby eels, called elvers, are often worth more than $2,000 per pound because of how valuable they are to Asian aquaculture companies. That makes them one of the most valuable fish species in the U.S. They’re raised to maturity so they can be used in Japanese food, some of which is sold in the U.S. in unagi dishes at sushi restaurants. The elvers have again been worth more than $2,000 per pound at the docks this year, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. South Carolina is the only other state in the country with a fishing industry for baby eels, and that state’s fishery is much smaller. >click to read< 09:12

Amid fishing deaths, calls rise for small boats to have stability checks

After the Caledonian capsized off Vancouver Island in 2015 with three lives lost, the Transportation Safety Board called for all small fishing vessels to undergo a stability assessment and adhere to standards ensuring stability information “is adequate and readily available to the crew.” However, seven years later, Transport Canada says on its website that enacting the regulation would be “functionally challenging and prohibitively expensive for the industry.” The department declined a request for an interview with a senior official to provide further explanation. It’s a stance the Transportation Safety Board describes on its website as “unsatisfactory,” while a lawyer for the mother of a deckhand who died when the scallop dragger Chief William Saulis flipped over off Nova Scotia on Dec. 15, 2020 argues the federal government needs to act. >click to read< 11:50 – Search Results for “Caledonian” – fisherynation.comSearch Results for “Chief William Saulis” – fisherynation.com

Commercial fishing crews in B.C. now required to wear life-jackets on deck

The organization that oversees worker safety in British Columbia is taking steps to reduce risks faced by commercial fishing crews. WorkSafeBC says all crew members on the deck of a fishing vessel must now wear a life-jacket or personal flotation device. Until the amendment took effect June 3, workers on commercial fishing boats were only required to wear a life-jacket when working under conditions that involved a risk of drowning.,,, The updated regulation stems from Transportation Safety Board recommendations made after the fatal capsizing of the fishing vessel Caledonian near Tofino in September 2015. Three of the four crewmen died and the lone survivor was the only one wearing a life-jacket. >click to read<16:35

Transportation Safety Board wants life-vests mandatory for commercial fishermen

The federal government should look at the success of seatbelt laws when it considers a recommendation that would require commercial fishermen to wear a life-jacket at all times while on deck, the head of the Transportation Safety Board says. The recommendation to make life-jackets mandatory was part of a report released Wednesday into the deadly capsizing of a 30-metre fishing trawler last year off the west coast of Vancouver Island. “There was a time when it was OK to drive a car and not wear a seatbelt,” Kathy Fox said following a news conference in suburban Vancouver. Three men died and one survived when the Caledonian turned over and sank shortly after it loaded what was to be its final haul of hake on Sept. 5, 2015. The person who survived was also the only one wearing a personal flotation device. Read the story here 12:15

Transportation Safety Board report on B.C. fishing boat capsizing that killed three to be released

Investigators with the Board are scheduled to release a report today about a commercial fishing boat that capsized last year near Tofino, B.C., killing three men. The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre has said the Caledonian’s crew was trying to haul in a net on Sept. 5, 2015, when the boat listed. It capsized and sank about 55 kilometres west of Estevan Point off Vancouver Island. A fourth man was rescued from a life-raft hours later. The BC Coroners Service identified Wesley Hagglund, Keith Standing and Doug White as the men who died in the accident. Link 09:55

Spousal Relief Fund For Genny

This fund has been set up for my mother, Genny Pavan. We are currently trying to raise any money we can for her during this difficult time. The money will be used to help her with financial struggles she has endured since the loss of her spouse Doug. Her lights are on the verge of being turned off, and is months behind in other bills. She has basically been left on her own, with no help and broken promises.  As many of us already know, in September Doug tragically lost his life fishing off the coast of Tofino while aboard the Caledonian when the boat suddenly capsized. Please read the rest here , and please donate if you can.  Related articles – Caledonian Tragedy Family Relief Fund click,  – For: Wes Hegglund, Keith Standing, Doug White – There appears to be a problem with the Caledonian Tragedy Family Relief Fund click

Life jacket credited for saving man’s life in fish boat tragedy

Before the Caledonian went down, two fishermen clung to the capsized vessel for hours. Only one was wearing a life vest. It saved his life. The unidentified man was the sole survivor when the 33-metre dragger sank to the bottom like a stone Saturday evening, more than six hours after capsizing in chilly waters north of Tofino. His three partners in the ship’s four-member crew — engineer Keith Standing, 48, and deckhand Doug White, 41, of Port Alberni, and 55-year-old skipper Wesley Hegglund of Duncan — died in the waters 55 kilometres west of Estevan Point, near the entrance to Nootka Sound. Notes pieced together from the recollections of the survivor tell a harrowing tale that Joint Rescue Coordination Centre marine rescue co-ordinator Colin Henthorne summarized. It was cloudy; fishermen a few dozen miles away reported two-metre swells. The Caledonian had one “bag” of fish on board. As they brought a second netful, the vessel started to list significantly, finally keeling on its side between 3 or 3:30 p.m. Read the rest here 18:51

Coroners service identifies fishermen who died near Tofino

through the stoemThe B.C. Coroners Service has named the three fishermen who died when a commercial fishboat capsized near Tofino on Saturday. The three men, crew members of the commercial fish dragger Caledonian, are skipper Wesley Hegglund, 55, of Duncan; engineer Keith Edward Standing, 48, of Port Alberni; and , 41, also of Port Alberni. The boat was about 55 kilometres west of Estevan Point, north of Tofino, when it capsized and eventually sank, the coroners service said. The three men’s bodies were recovered by the Canadian Coast Guard over the next 18 hours. All were pronounced dead at the scene. Read the rest here 19:22

Deadliest year for B.C. fishermen in a decade

This has become the deadliest year for B.C. fishermen in a decade, following the capsizing of a commercial fishing boat north of Tofino on the weekend, says the Transportation Safety Board. Three crew members died when the Caledonian, owned by Pacific Seafood, capsized Saturday night, at about 8 pm. PT, off Estevan Point on the west coast of Vancouver Island. That brings the number of deaths in B.C. fishing to six for 2015, said Glenn Budden, a senior marine investigator with the Transportation Safety Board. “It’s not been a good year for B.C. fishermen,” Read the rest here 21:45

B.C. tragedy as 3 fisherman drown off Tofino, one survives

The fishing boat, the Caledonian, with four fishermen onboard capsized in Pacific Ocean waters off of the town of Tofino on Vancouver Island Saturday. Three of them are dead and one survivor was plucked from the waters. Navy Lt. Nicole Murillo with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre said the survivor revealed that the men were hauling in a net with a large catch in it when the 33-metre boat listed over into the water; the survivor said they knew the situation was dangerous but were unable to get the ship back upright. “They tried to correct it,” Lt. Murillo said. “But unfortunately the ship capsized and subsequently sunk.” Read the rest here 09:45