Category Archives: Pacific
State and local agencies continue work to address grounded vessel at Dillon Beach
Officials said the Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders received initial reports at 8:45 a.m. Friday, March 5, that the American Challenger was being towed southward by the Tug Hunter from Puget Sound, Washington, when the Tug Hunter lost propulsion due to a rope entangling the propeller. On Tuesday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said marine surveyors boarded the American Challenger to continue their inspection of the vessel’s fuel tanks by using sound tapes and paste to get an accurate reading of the amount of fuel aboard. >click to read< 07:45
Oil contamination found at Marin beach when vessel grounds following towing incident
The incident happened Friday morning while the 90-foot fishing boat was being towed south from the Seattle area, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The tugboat Hunter became disabled when a rope got tangled in its propeller. Rough sea and poor visibility forced the tug crew to discontinue the job, the department said. The tugboat was towed to Sausalito, and the fishing boat drifted into the rocks south of Estero de San Antonio. The boat, named American Challenger, is being watched by officials,,, On Monday, the Coast Guard did not have an estimated time in which the fishing boat could be removed. >click to read< 12:10
Momentum building for California offshore wind farms
Last month, Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, introduced a bill that sets a target of generating 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030, which could power hundreds of thousands of homes, and 10,000 megawatts by 2040. “Put in perspective, the larger target is nearly equal to the electrical generating capacity of all the large solar farms in California today and nearly double all the wind farms now operating on land in California,”. Chiu said his Assembly Bill 525 would create 14,000 jobs. (sure!) Commercial fishing organizations also have expressed concerns about whether the wind farms would put fishing areas off limits. >click to read< 13:02
Remembering John Picinich, 1949-2021
John Picinich, 71, a longtime resident of West Seattle who retired to Las Vegas, passed away on February 23, 2021. He was born December 19, 1949 in Tacoma to John and Johanna Picinich. He found the love of his life at the age of 20 in West Seattle, when he married Carol Ewing. John attended West Seattle High School. He went on to become a marine pipefitter and commercial fisherman. John was a member of Local 32 Plumbers & Pipefitters Union and worked at various shipyards in Seattle for many years. He fished for salmon in Alaska and the San Juans. and was the co-owner of the F/V Joanna. >click to read< 14:50
F/V Scandies Rose: Inaccurate Design Calculations May Have Put Scandies Rose in Harm’s Way
According to the Marine Safety Center, the hydrostatics model that the naval architect provided for the vessel “did not accurately represent the F/V Scandies Rose,” for multiple reasons. MSC alleged that it did not accurately model poop deck or forecastle enclosed volume, did not model the bulwarks, had significantly less superstructure windage than the actual vessel, appeared to have much different tank capacities than the vessel capacity plan, and neglected downflooding in calculations. >click to read< 07:50
F/V Scandies Rose: U.S. Coast Guard and NTSB conclude formal public hearing proceedings of the tragedy
The joint investigation board reviewed and considered evidence related to the loss of the fishing vessel, which occurred on Dec. 31, 2019. The board heard from 43 witnesses, who provided testimony into the conditions influencing the vessel prior to and at the time of the casualty. Testimony also focused on weather, icing, training fisheries, the Scandies Rose’s material condition, owner and operator organizational structures and culture, the regulatory compliance record of the vessel, Coast Guard policy, and practices related to vessel design, engineering and inspections.,,, Recordings of the proceedings are available,,, Documents, exhibits, helpful videos, Board biographies, and other hearing information is available >click to read< 15:43
Obituary: Todd Arlen Chase
Todd Chase, 51, passed away Feb. 20, 2021, in a tragic commercial boating accident, aboard the F/V Coastal Reign, on the bar of Tillamook Bay and Garibaldi. Todd was born in Portland on Jan. 9, 1970. He spent his teenage years in Tillamook County. His surviving parents are Frank and Charlotte Chase, of Warrenton. Todd was always known for his strong work ethic and a love and appreciation of the water. From the age of 14, Todd was working on commercial fishing boats, in canneries and in construction. At the age of 21, he met Angeline Steinman at a Christian event. From that moment the chase was on. In August 1991, they married. There will be a funeral service to honor his life and what it stood for. >click to read< 22:43
Gina M. Raimondo Sworn in as 40th U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Gina M. Raimondo was sworn in as the 40th U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Secretary Raimondo was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris after a bipartisan vote of 84-15 in the United States Senate. In her role as Secretary of Commerce, Raimondo will lead a key agency focused on promoting economic growth, >click to read<11:20
Obituary: Commercial Fisherman Edwin Lee Owings, 1958-2021
Eddie passed away peacefully on February 23, 2021, at 62 years old, in Crescent City. He was born in Fort Bragg to Thelma and Joel Owings. He made many lifelong friends through his fishing adventures. Being a commercial fisherman and eventually Captain of the F/V Carmelia Maria was his livelihood for many years. He leaves behind his two children Cara Owings and Emily Reed (Thomas). He also leaves behind his fiancee Angelina of 15 years. He will be deeply missed by all those that knew him. >click to read< 18:53
F/V Scandies Rose: Investigation Takes a New Look at Crab Boat Stability
Last week’s hearings on the tragic sinking of the ill-fated fishing vessel Scandies Rose have raised questions about the stability booklet requirements for crab boats, which are routinely exposed to severe freezing spray in Alaskan waters. Many crab boat sinkings have been blamed on ice buildup and loss of stability over the decades, but the U.S. Coast Guard design standard for ice accumulation relies on an IMO rule that was not formulated with crab vessels in mind, leading several naval architects who testified last week to question whether it is time for a revision. >click to read< 09:19
Coast Guard medevacs woman from fishing vessel near Cold Bay, Alaska
The Coast Guard medevaced a woman from a fishing vessel approximately 101 miles northwest of Cold Bay, Alaska, Sunday. An Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted the woman at 10 p.m. and safely transported her to a LifeMed flight team in Cold Bay for further transport to Anchorage. Watchstanders at the 17th District command center in Juneau received a medevac request,,, >click to read< 16:53
Festival that supports the Bodega Bay fishing fleet missing community
Since 1973 the Bodega Bay community has hosted an annual Fisherman’s Festival,, The blessing of the Fishing Fleet is the highlight of the Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival. These solemn annual blessings had their start more than 50 years ago when the event was part of the “Discovery Days Celebration”,,, It is with much regret that we cancel the 2021 edition of the Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival (as well as our 2020 festival). While we remain hopeful that Sonoma County continues to gain ground against the coronavirus threat, at this moment hosting the festival on its traditional Spring date creates too great of a risk for our volunteers, vendors, and guests. >click to read< 15:32
F/V Scandies Rose: Expert witnesses point to flawed stability calculations
When the Scandies Rose sank on New Year’s Eve of 2019, fishermen from all over Alaska were shocked. Five of the crew perished when the ship rolled onto its side, along with the ship’s captain Gary Cobban. Two crewmembers were rescued from a life raft by a Coast Guard helicopter crew.,, This week, the Coast Guard convened a Marine Board investigation into the cause of the sinking. So far, expert witnesses have described serious problems with the boat’s stability report, which is a rating of how stable the vessel is and how much equipment it can bear. And those issues might extend to many other fishing boats around Alaska. >Audio, click to read/listen< 09:54
F/V Scandies Rose: Tragedy survivor details harrowing experience during sinking
Jon Lawler, who was on the F/V Scandies Rose on Dec. 31, 2019, when the boat began rapidly sinking into the sea,,, As soon as things began going wrong around 10 p.m. that New Year’s Eve, Lawler knew something was severely amiss, he said, and immediately ran upstairs, encountering Capt. Gary Cobban in the process. “And I look at Gary,” he said. “And I said, ‘What the f— is going on? What’s going on?’ And he said, ‘I don’t know what’s going on. I think we’re f—— sinking.’ ‘No f—— s— we’re sinking.’ Fast forward, and Lawler would miraculously make it outside the boat alive, donning a rescue suit. That, though, was hardly the end of the distress. Video, >click to read< 13:35
F/V Scandies Rose: Survivor Jon Lawler’s Wrenching Testimony, Experts note serious flaws in a USCG regulation
The architects who testified were not involved with the development of the stability booklet for the Scandies Rose, a Washington managed boat which went down around 10 p.m. in the Gulf of Alaska during a storm that generated National Weather Service warnings of heavy freezing spray. Also Wednesday, Jon Lawler, one of the two survivors of the seven-person crew, offered wrenching testimony of the final minutes before the boat went under. After donning a survival suit, he exited the wheelhouse amid what he described as sheer panic as the boat tilted crazily and tossed people about. >click to read< 17:38
‘We are rolling over’ – The inquiry into the Bering Sea sinking of the F/V Scandies Rose crab boat opened with a mayday call
Through the buzz of airwave static, a voice can be heard giving coordinates in the Gulf of Alaska. Then four chilling words: “We are rolling over.” This nighttime Dec. 31, 2019, mayday transmission from the Scandies Rose, a Washington-managed crab boat, was played Monday morning as the Coast Guard launched two weeks of public hearings to investigate the sinking that took the lives of five of the seven crew. The Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of inquiry into accidents, and the schedule includes testimony from the vessel’s co-owner, two survivors, former crew, naval architects and people involved in repairs. >click to read< 13:08
2 dead after fishing boat capsizes at Tillamook Bay
Two fishermen from Warrenton died after a 38-foot commercial fishing boat capsized Saturday at the Tillamook Bay bar entrance. The boat capsized at about 4:40 p.m. All four people on board entered the water and were recovered by 6 p.m. and taken to hospital. Family members said Todd Chase, a 51-year-old Warrenton man, died after he was recovered by jetty rocks. A GoFundMe page was set up to support Chase’s wife and children. The family of Zach Zappone, 41, of Warrenton, said he died after being taken to a Portland hospital in critical condition. Zappone’s family also set up a GoFundMe page. >click to read< 07:21
A Fundraiser to Support Zach & Darby
It is with a heavy heart that we let everyone know about our dear friend Zach. We lost the most amazing man yesterday doing what he loved the absolute most. He took his last trip on the F/V Coastal Reign and now he is fishing with God. We lost an amazing soul just 5 days before his 42nd birthday. He loved what he did,,, Zachs other half Darby is with close family and friends at this time. Zach was the main financial support in their home. Jasmine Sleutel is organizing this fundraiser. >click to read, and please, donate if you can<. 13:55
“What if the dams came out?” – Snake River dams proposal draws accolades, criticism – It will take an Act of Congress
It’s a “pinch me, this is real” moment, said Amy Grondin. So when she heard Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho announce a proposal to breach all four Lower Snake River dams, infamous for blocking salmon passage, she saw a ray of hope. Titled the Columbia Basin Fund, the plan calls for replacing the dams’ hydroelectric energy production with other sources. The fund also would ensure that flood control, farm irrigation and grain transportation are addressed, all to the tune of $33 billion. >click to read< 09:24
Interior of Tacoma commercial fishing boat still burning – Photos
A fierce fire on a moored commercial fishing boat at the Port of Tacoma that took three fireboats to battle is still burning in the interior of the vessel, officials reported Saturday. The fire started near the 400 block of East Alexander off Marine View Drive around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. A crew on Tacoma fireboat Destiny was the first to arrive and found heavy flames coming from the pilothouse of the boat Aleutian Falcon, owned by Trident Seafoods. >click to read< Photos: Tacoma fishing boat fire burns for hours – >click to view< 08:36
Canada launches new aircraft to improve conservation and ocean protection
Fishery officers require state of the art aerial surveillance equipment to continue the important work they conduct protecting Canada’s marine resources, ensuring compliance with fisheries management measures and enforcing the Fisheries Act from coast to coast to coast. In 2019, Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced a five-year, $128 million contract with PAL Aerospace-located in St. John’s, to deliver a new fleet of four aerial surveillance aircrafts, including two long-range maritime patrol aircrafts. When operational, the planes will fly out of three bases of operation: St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and a brand new facility in Campbell River, British Columbia. >click to read< 15:22
Federal lease allows Oregon State’s offshore wave energy testing facility to move ahead in 2021
The lease for PacWave South is the first marine renewable energy research lease the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has issued in federal waters off the West Coast. The estimated $80 million facility will be located offshore southwest of Newport, Oregon. The project still must receive licensing approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission before it can move forward. Obtaining the lease is an essential component of the licensing requirements. >click to read< 12:22