Coast Guard Expresses Concern Over Fishing Vessel Safety

Fishermen say tightening economic times are already strangling aspects of the fishing industry, and new demands will worsen the economic picture.

Photo courtesy: Morro Bay Harbor Festival (a href="http://mbhf.com">mbhf.com)

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The Coast Guard says several problems repeatedly lead to commercial fishing as being the country's most hazardous occupation. Issues include stability and watertight integrity issues and maintenance of vessels has also been identified as a significant issue leading to vessel losses.

On March 21st, the federal government took a regulatory effort to develop amendments to Coast Guard commercial fishing industry vessel regulations a step farther.

The Bush Administration approved an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) as part of a regulatory effort to develop amendments to Coast Guard commercial fishing industry vessel regulations.

The ANPRM will be published in the Federal Register on Monday, and may be downloaded at gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/fr-cont.html.

The ANPRM announces the Coast Guard's intention to solicit feedback from the commercial fishing industry prior to developing additional regulations.

The Coast Guard has identified several areas that repeatedly lead to commercial fishing as being the country's most hazardous occupation.

They say stability and watertight integrity issues continue to account for the majority of vessel losses. Most casualties are related to crew members entering the water.

Maintenance of vessels has also been identified as a significant issue leading to vessel losses.

But many west coast fishermen will tell you that tightening economic times are already strangling aspects of the fishing industry, and placing new demands on them will only drive the economic picture farther south. They also say they have been doing their best as an industry to comply with an ever increasing set of rules and laws that regulate them.

The Coast Guard says that while there have been improvements in safety within the industry since the commercial fishing vessel safety regulations were published in 1991, casualty rates remain unacceptably high.

Crew safety training and drills have been advocated by the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Advisory Committee and the Coast Guard supports an expansion of current requirements.