FT. MYERS BEACH, Fla. – The Coast Guard terminated the voyage of the 62-foot commercial fishing vessel Melissa Lynn due to a safety violation, 13-miles west of Ft. Myers Beach, at 12:20 p.m. yesterday.
The Coast Guard Cutter Marlin, an 87-foot patrol boat home ported in Ft. Myers Beach, conducted a boarding of the Melissa Lynn and terminated the vessel’s voyage for failing to meet minimum safety requirements. The fishing vessel had an expired safety inspection for its life raft. The life raft inspection expired in April 2006.
The vessel is moored safely at the Trico Shrimp docks at Ft. Myers Beach. The master of the vessel will need to correct the violation and have the vessel re-examined by a Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Examiner before it can resume its voyage.
The Coast Guard periodically checks fishing vessels for compliance with the Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Act, which requires commercial fishing vessels to maintain on-board safety items including, but not limited to, personal flotation devices, life rafts, fire fighting equipment and an operating bilge system.
Commercial fishing remains the most dangerous occupation in America, with an estimated fatality rate of about 118 per 100,000 commercial fisherman each year.
