Tag Archives: Canadian Coast Guard
Canadian Coast Guard Plans to Order Up to 61 Small Vessels
Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, on Thursday announced $2.5 billion CAD (roughly $1.8 billion USD) for the construction of up to 61 new small vessels and the ongoing replacement of small craft, barges and workboats within the Canadian Coast guard fleet. “This is a critical investment that will help modernize the Canadian Coast Guard’s small vessel fleet,” Murray said. “We are making sure the Canadian Coast Guard has the equipment it needs to keep Canadians and Canada’s waterways safe, while also creating good-paying jobs across the country.” >click to read< 13:29
SAR air base for Labrador
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) congratulates board member Merv Wiseman for spearheading a resolution approved this past weekend by the Liberal Party of Canada to designate a search and rescue (SAR) air base for Labrador. “Labrador is one step closer to having 5-Wing Goose Bay designated a SAR air base that will save lives,” says Wiseman, a member of SEA-NL’s executive, and outspoken advocate for stronger SAR services and fishing-vessel safety. Passed unanimously on May 6th during the Liberal Party of Canada’s national convention in Ottawa, the resolution urges the federal government to immediately designate 5-Wing Goose Bay as a SAR air base, which would include stationing one of the military’s Cormorant SAR helicopters there. >click to read< 11:31
With a coast guard research vessel facing decommission, N.L.’s fisheries union has concerns
On Thursday, the Canadian Coast Guard announced the research vessel CCGS Alfred Needler is being decommissioned after 40 years in service due to “significant mechanical and structural failures” in late 2022 and early 2023. “The coast guard determined that the ship was beyond repair and further investment would not allow it to return to reliable and safe service,” Gary Ivany, assistant commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard’s Atlantic region, said Friday. The decommissioning causes problems for DFO scientists, whose job is it to determine how much shrimp and cod should be fished each year. >click to read< 12:09
Statement from the Canadian Coast Guard: Decommissioning of the CCGS Alfred Needler
Following over 40 years of service to Canada as a fisheries science vessel, the CCGS Alfred Needler is being decommissioned. In late 2022 and early 2023 the CCGS Alfred Needler suffered a number of significant mechanical and structural failures. Following an evaluation of the condition of the vessel, it has been determined that the vessel is beyond repair and further investment would not allow it to return to a reliable and safe service. The CCGS Alfred Needler has been a key platform for the Department’s fisheries science program, most recently participating in comparative fishing work alongside the Canadian Coast Guard’s new Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSV). All three new OFSV have been added to the fleet as planned replacements to the older aging vessels. >click to read< 07:58
Frustration to embarrassment to shame, patience lost with DFO science: SEA-NL
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) says continued cancellations and delays of critical assessments that survey the health of major fish stocks like northern cod have turned Fisheries and Oceans science into a Canadian shame. “We’re past the point of frustration and embarrassment with DFO science; it’s now Canada’s shame,” says Ryan Cleary, SEA-NL’s Executive Director. DFO’s science director for the province released a letter Thursday afternoon informing fishing industry representatives that the Canadian Coast Guard science ship Alfred Needler has been deemed “beyond repair” and decommissioned. >click to read< 09:01
Canadian Coast Guard can’t retire old fisheries science vessels on East Coast
Canada is extending the life of its two aging offshore fisheries science vessels on the East Coast as the Canadian Coast Guard struggles to bring their replacements into service. The transition has floundered because of breakdowns, unplanned maintenance and refits on both new and old fisheries science vessels. In response, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has now postponed the planned retirement of 40-year-old CCGS Alfred Needler on Dec.31 and 34-year-old CCGS Teleost set for March 2023. >click to read< 09:18
A Tribute to the Coast Guard
The F/V Atlantic Destiny, a 143-foot offshore scallop trawler, was 130 nautical miles south of Nova Scotia in March of 2021 when fire broke out on board. As a Mayday call went out just after 7 p.m., 30-knot winds and freezing spray made conditions unforgiving. Even after the fire was out, the vessel was in grave danger. It had lost power while adrift in 15-foot seas and was taking on water. The 31 crew members on the ship were at the mercy of the violent ocean. In Halifax, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center immediately sent help. Fortunately, Canadian forces had some back up: the U.S. Coast Guard. >click to read< 08:31
Efforts to remove sunken vessel near Victoria are difficult due to conditions
A small fishing vessel remains underwater two weeks after it sank off the coast of San Juan Island, Washington, and the U.S. Coast Guard says removal efforts are difficult due to strong water conditions. On Aug. 13, the Aleutian Isle sank near the U.S. Island — approximately 25.6 kilometers east of Victoria. Dumping an estimated 9,854 litres of diesel oil, sheen covered several kilometers of water and threatened marine life while sparking a joint response between U.S. and Canadian agencies. Video, >click to read< 09:06
Divers hope to wrap up work, raise sunken fishing vessel near San Juan Island soon – Two weeks after an oil spill began off the west side of San Juan Island, divers began work that will allow them to plug a sunken fishing vessel more than 200 feet below the surface. >click to read<
Crew from the Grand Manan Adventure ferry sped to the rescue of fishing crew on a life raft
The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre says it got a mayday call from the Ross Pride around noon on Wednesday. The fishing boat was taking on water and listing, said the centre’s Lt.-Cmdr. Brian Owens. “They indicated that they were going to be abandoning their vessel, getting into their life raft,” he said Thursday. Owens said the centre immediately deployed a helicopter and a Hercules aircraft out of Greenwood, N.S. The centre also asked the Canadian Coast Guard station at Westport, N.S., and the United States Coast Guard in Eastport, Maine, to head to the scene. Video, >click to read< 11:25
1st Right whale of season spotted in Gulf of St. Lawrence, triggers fishing closure
A surveillance aircraft spotted the whale in the Gulf, north of the Magdalen Islands, on Tuesday, the federal government announced Wednesday afternoon. There is now a 15-day fishing closure in specific fishing grids in the southern Gulf, north of the islands, according to a news release issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard. In March, the Canadian government announced its fishery and vessel management measures for the 2022 season to protect the endangered whales from entanglements and ship strikes as they migrate into Canadian waters. >click to read< 18:22
F/V Mucktown Girl: TSB weighing what steps they will take next, including opening an investigation
The F/V Mucktown Girl halibut boat went down off the coast of Canso, N.S., on Sunday. Four of its five crew members were rescued by the Canadian Coast Guard, but the fifth man fell off a life raft as the crew was being transferred to a coast guard vessel around 6:30 a.m. Sunday. The fisherman, Jeremy Hart of Windsor Junction, N.S., was eventually pulled out after spending five hours in the ocean but died in a hospital on Sunday. Board spokesperson Chris Krepski said Tuesday the TSB has been notified of the situation and is assessing what the next steps will be. >click to read< 22:17
Sister confirms death of fisherman who spent five hours in waters off eastern Nova Scotia
A commercial fisherman who was lifted from the ocean after spending five hours in frigid waters off eastern Nova Scotia has died, a family member confirmed Monday. In an interview, Alana Lewis said her brother, 35-year-old Jeremy Hart of Windsor Junction, N.S., died at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday after being found by a rescue team. “When they found him he was unresponsive, but at that point they still had hope that they could save him,” Lewis said. “But they were unable to get his core temperature back up and he passed away.” She said an autopsy was being conducted Monday, adding that Hart had only joined the crew of the halibut fishing vessel F/V Mucktown Girl last Thursday. >click to read< 15:14
Missing fisherman found off Nova Scotia coast – Fishing vessel was being towed by the Coast Guard
A fisherman who went missing in the waters off Canso, N.S., has been found. The crew member had fallen off a life raft Sunday morning as a crew of five was being transferred to a coast guard vessel. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said on Twitter just after 2 p.m. AT that a search and rescue crew aboard a Cormorant helicopter found the missing fisherman and transported him to Sydney, N.S., for medical care. The crew members from the vessel were all wearing immersion suits, the centre said in an earlier tweet. The Canadian Coast Guard said the Mucktown Girl is a 15-metre longliner,,, >click to read< 15:02
‘Definitely the most difficult rescue I have been on’ recalls a rescuer of F/V Atlantic Destiny crew
Daniel Domonkos will always remember the moment he and his SAR tech crew first laid eyes on the ill-fated F/V Atlantic Destiny a year ago. Seeing the stricken vessel being tossed around in the waves “like a little toy,” the flight engineer immediately wondered, “How are we supposed to get anyone off that boat?” And not just one person, but 31 of them. It was a miraculous scene that later played out at the Yarmouth International Airport as crew members of the Atlantic Destiny and their rescuers stepped out of helicopters to safety, the warmth of those moments only interrupted by the bone-chilling bitter cold. Photos, Video, >click to read< 08:08
UPDATED: Spanish fishing boat sinks off Canada; 7 dead, 14 missing
A Spanish fishing boat sank early Tuesday in rough seas off Newfoundland,,, The 50-meter (164-feet) long fishing boat named F/V Villa de Pitanxo, which operates out of northwest Spain’s Galicia region, sank in the dark (around 0600 GMT, 1 a.m. EST), Survivors include vessel’s 53-year-old skipper and his 42-year-old nephew, according to La Voz de Galicia newspaper. The two men contacted their families by phone, A rescue center in Halifax, Nova Scotia, operated by Canada’s air force and coast guard, dispatched a helicopter, a Hercules-type aircraft and a rescue vessel to the area, which is 450 kilometers (280 miles) off the island of Newfoundland. >click to read< 14:49
DFO’s vessel length restrictions are hurting business and putting fish harvesters’ lives at risk
Patey’s Venture has the look of a well-designed fishing boat, with smooth flanks meeting a nicely-curved bow. Yet there’s something amiss, an anomaly that’s as impossible to ignore as a missing tooth in an open-mouthed smile. For the Pateys, who needed a boat with some extra deck space to handle crab pots, it was more economical to buy and reconfigure a used boat than invest in a new boat. The Pateys had a licence that put them in the under-40 LOA class. Patey spent several thousand dollars to eliminate those two feet, “Our boat was an excellent boat. And when we … followed the regulations set by DFO we made her worse than she was,” photos, >click to read< 11:10
Focus is on safety as lobster season opening nears in southwestern NS
Wharves are full of lobster fishing gear waiting to be loaded aboard the more than 1,600 vessels in Lobster Fishing Areas 33 and 34, which will head to sea on dumping day to set their gear. The season is scheduled to open on Nov. 29 in both LFAs, but an early two-day weather window flexibility agreement granted to the industry this year by DFO would allow for the season to open as early as Nov. 27 if the forecast is calling for strong winds on Monday. Saturday, Nov. 27 has already been called as a no-go due to the weather. The next conference call to discuss the weather is set for Friday morning, Nov. 25. >click to read< 11:52
Canadian Coast Guard knocks down Hardy Bay boat fire
The Canadian Coast Guard stopped a blaze from ravaging a small fishing boat in Hardy Bay. According to Brian Salisbury with Marine Search and Rescue, the call came in at 12:30 pm yesterday (Thursday), with Coast Guard crews able to knock the fire down and rescue passengers. Reports point to the small boat belonging to a bigger boat called The Blue Dragger, and in a Facebook post, Port Hardy Fire Rescue said the flames were “highly visible.” >click to read< 09:37
Indian Brook man charged with allegedly threatening fishery officers in St. Marys Bay
In a news release, RCMP said the fisherman was following a coast guard vessel and came “dangerously close” to the bow. A collision was avoided because of maneuvers made by the captain of the coast guard boat. RCMP said the fisherman then threatened fishery officers who were aboard another boat working in the area. >click to read< 13:04
Owner of vessel aground in Cape Breton en route to recover it – “I’m hoping to get aboard,,,
A Newfoundland man whose family purchased a fishing vessel three weeks ago was on his way to Cape Breton Thursday afternoon to work on recovering it. Jeremy Anstey, of the family-owned Anstey Fisheries in Summerford, N.L., said the Northern Tip is one of four vessels in his family’s fleet that he manages. Although they had just purchased the boat, about two weeks ago they leased the vessel to a First Nations band in Cape Breton. While being leased out, the vessel broke from the mooring in stormy weather and went aground in Iona on Wednesday. “I’m hoping to get aboard (Friday) to see if there’s any damage,” he said, adding it looks fairly sandy where it went aground, so he’s hopeful. photos, >click to read< 12:40
Canadian Coast Guard responds to fishing vessel aground in Iona
“The boat is on its side now, very, very close to the beach,” said Jim MacNeil, a resident of Iona, late afternoon Wednesday, adding conditions were stormy at the time. Stephen Bornais, a spokesperson with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said the coast guard was made aware of a fishing vessel that was aground after breaking free from the wharf in Iona, Wednesday morning. There were no individuals on board when the report was received. >click to read< 07:10
U.S., Canadian Coast Guards respond to container vessel near the Strait of Juan de Fuca
The U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard responded to a container vessel that lost 40 containers during heavy weather Friday 40 miles from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received notification from Prince Rupert Marine Communication and Traffic Services at 12:49 a.m. Friday that the shipping vessel Zim Kingston reported losing approximately 40 containers overboard when the vessel heeled 35 degrees in heavy swells 38 miles west of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The lost containers were initially reported to be general containers with no dangerous cargo. >click to read< 11:15
Search expert applauds provincewide push to keep looking for missing N.L. fishermen
A retired coast guard search and rescue coordinator says he’s impressed with the effort now going into the search for two fishers who went missing off the coast of Labrador last week. Merv Wiseman says the provincewide outpouring of support for the fishermen and their families is likely what pushed officials to bring in so many resources to keeping looking for the men and their vessel. Marc Russell and Joey Jenkins left the small Labrador community of Mary’s Harbour last Friday aboard the Island Lady fishing vessel and never returned home. >click to read< 13:03
Search expands for missing Labrador fishermen, family and friends hold out hope
The search for Marc Russell and Joey Jenkins of Mary’s Harbour is now in its fifth day, with a large dive team from the RCMP’s underwater recovery team and Deer Lake ground search and rescue en route to the community Wednesday afternoon. The Ocean Seeker, a vessel equipped with advanced underwater imaging and owned by Kraken Robotics, has also been greenlighted to join the search and is on its way. “We were very proud yesterday after asking RCMP to to look into that asset, and last night it came true and they should be here tomorrow,” said Dwight Russell, Marc Russell’s father. >click to read< 15:55
Search resumes for missing Mary’s Harbour fishermen with Canadian Armed Forces, Coast Guard
The search for two missing fishermen from Mary’s Harbour has resumed with the help of the Canadian Armed Forces and the coast guard Monday, after the official search off the coast of southern Labrador was called off Sunday night. The JRCC tweeted around 9 p.m. Sunday that it had suspended the search for the Island Lady,,, Dwight Russell told CBC News on Monday morning his family was told the news around 7 p.m Sunday. After that call, he and his family pressed federal departments like the office of the prime minister, he said, and had been promised the search would resume. But come Monday morning and that promise “has not materialized,,, >click to read< 14:25
‘Our boys deserve more time’ – “This is unacceptable! This is absolutely the wrong decision! It is too soon!”
The father of one of the two men aboard a fishing vessel lost in waters off southern Labrador is appealing to the Canadian Coast Guard to reverse its decision to change its mission from one of search and rescue to recovery. Local fishermen began the search, which was later joined by the Coast Guard and aircraft at the direction of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Halifax.,, Dwight Russell said the family learned of Coast Guard’s plans Sunday evening. “But as I write this, the Coast Guard has informed our families that they are pulling out and changing the mission from search & rescue to recovery, and operational control will be turned over to the RCMP. >click to read< 08:36
Search for Mary’s Harbour fishermen enters 2nd day as N.L. communities hold vigils overnight
The fishermen, Marc Russell and Joey Jenkins, were expected to land in Mary’s Harbour around 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Local fishing crews began the search that evening. The JRCC and the Canadian Coast Guard joined later that night after picking up radio chatter from the ongoing search,,, the provincial government and a significant number of local vessels have also aided in the search, which has greatly enhanced searching capabilities. Several vessels were on the water Saturday evening after Dwight Russell, Marc Russell’s father, made a call to fishers in the area to aid in the search. >photos, click to read< 13:21
Search underway for missing fishers off Mary’s Harbour – The father of a fisherman missing at sea is asking boats from Southern Labrador and Northern Newfoundland to join the search effort for his son and a second crew member. The two-person crew aboard Island Lady was expected to land in Mary’s Harbour around 5:00 p.m. on Friday. >click to read< 17:22
Canadian Coast Guard destroys man’s boat, then sues to cover $8,500 bill
A Campbell River man is being sued for over $8,500 in federal court after he says the Canadian Coast Guard destroyed his boat without his knowledge. Tom Puglas, 76, of the Mamalilikulla First Nation, said it all began on a 2017 salmon fishing trip. When his 39-foot wood-hulled gillnetter broke down, he moored it along the outside finger of a dock in Port McNeill. According to federal court documents, the Canadian Coast Guard was called in on Aug. 22, 2017, after reports Puglas’s vessel was sinking and discharging oil. The documents claim the Coast Guard contacted Puglas, who said he would remove the vessel from the water and make any necessary repair. Puglas denies that ever happened. >click to read< 09:17
Crab fishing season off to early start on the Acadian Peninsula
New Brunswick’s snow crab fishers have begun their season. At the wharf in Shippagan, boats prepared to take to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence late Friday despite frigid temperatures and the presence of ice in some places. The season officially began at midnight. For Capt. Renald Guignard, it marked the continuation of a family tradition. The Acadian Peninsula received help from icebreakers from the Canadian Coast Guard and contracted boats to allow access to the waters before endangered North Atlantic right whales arrive. >click to read< 17:30
Icebreakers are clearing the way for early Snow crab season with less risk for right whales
New Brunswick’s lucrative snow crab industry is just weeks away from a head start to the season, could result in higher revenue and less risk for North Atlantic right whales. Icebreakers from the Canadian Coast Guard and contracted boats began clearing the waters near Shippagan and Caraquet on the Acadian Peninsula over the weekend. Gilles Thériault, who lives in Tracadie, said fishermen are thankful for the icebreakers. “The quicker we catch our quota, the less danger there is of whales being trapped into ropes,” he said. “We hope that the vast majority of the quota will be caught before the whales arrive.” >click to read< 15:43
