JUNEAU, Alaska — The Coast Guard encourages fishing vessel operators to check safety requirements and schedule dockside exams in the wake of several Southeast Alaska voyage terminations over the weekend.
Coast Guard Station Ketchikan crewmembers terminated two fishing vessel voyages due to lack of necessary safety gear and found a lack of flares aboard a third fishing vessel during a boarding at the pier.
“Regulations can change based on the number of people on board, the size of the vessel, and the distance from shore,” said Scott Wilwert, a Coast Guard Sector Juneau commercial fishing vessel safety expert. “We recommend signing up for a voluntary dockside safety exam before leaving the pier, and reading up on requirements before setting out to fish.”
Fishing vessel operators in Southeast Alaska can contact their local safety inspector for a free dockside safety check. In Juneau contact Scott Wilwert at 907-957-0152; in Ketchikan contact Jim Paul at 907-617-2523; and in Sitka contact Steve Ramp at 907-966-5620.
Commercial fishermen can also visit http://fishsafe.info/ or http://ift.tt/1pacMqD to check safety requirements. Recreational boaters should visit http://ift.tt/16CBKrb for more information.
