Alaska Marine Safety

Education Association

Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety News

July 15, 2010

Stability Practices For Commercial Fishermen Outlined

The U.S Coast Guard, 17th District has issued a Safety Alert entitled Stability Practices For Alaskan Commercial Fishermen. Although the document is addressed specifically to Alaskan fishermen, the practices outlined are applicable to commercial fisheries, regardless of location.

Vessel stability is a significant contributing factor in many commercial fishing vessel tragedies. Following the practices outlined in this one-page document will ensure safer fishing operations.

Download a copy now: USCG Safety Alert 10-10

June 14, 2010

USCG Issues Marine Safety Information Bulletin On the Need For Lock Out/Tag Out Procedures

Download Marine Safety Information Bulleton 02-10 here.

You can also learn more about lock out/tag out procedures at this web page from the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

October 2, 2009

NEW EDITION: Federal Requirements For Commercial Fishing Industry Vessels – 2009 edition

This 40-page booklet, published the the U.S. Coast Guard, outlines the regulations applicable to the operation of commercial fishing vessels. This pamphlet is a concise, handy document with essential regulatory information for vessel owners and operators.

Visit AMSEA's Downloads page to get a copy of this handy new quick reference as well as other publications – all available as FREE downloads!

June 25, 2009

New Quick Reference Available to Download: Abbreviated Guide to Navigation Rules of the Road

Visit AMSEA's Downloads page to get a copy of this handy new quick reference as well as other publications – all available as FREE downloads!

June 10, 2009

Immersion Suit Exemption Available For Infants Aboard Commercial Fishing Vessels in Alaska

The U.S Coast Guard requires an appropriate sized immersion (survival) suit for each person onboard most commercial fishing vessels. Unfortunately, there are no USCG-approved immersion suits on the market sized appropriately for infants. However, fishing families often do fish with their infants onboard.

While determining how best to remedy this problem, the USCG is temporarily allowing families fishing in Alaskan waters with infants onboard to apply for an exemption from carrying immersion suits for infants less than 35 inches tall.

Read more and learn what you need to do to receive this exemption.

May 5, 2009

Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Instructor Training To Be Held in Tampa, Florida

This session of AMSEA's premier train-the trainer course is an intensive 48-hour, six-day program designed to train individuals to effectively teach safey and survival skills, as well as emergency onboard safety drills, to commercial fishermen. The course is U.S. Coast Guard approved.

Learn more or register to attend online. More information is also available by email or by calling AMSEA at 907- 747-3287.

Download the printable flyer pictured below.

Updated April 27, 2009

New Edition of Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Digest Released

The Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Digest brings together all the federal regulations applicable to the operation of uninspected commercial fishing vessels in one location and in an easy to read and understand format.

First published by the USCG in 1978, this edition of the Digest is newly revised by AMSEA in cooperation with the USCG and Richard Hiscock, author of the original Digest. All information has been meticulously updated.

The Digest is valuable to anyone associated with the U.S. commercial fishing industry including individual fishermen, fleet operators, instructors/trainers, equipment providers, USCG personnel, and others involved with the industry.

The Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Digest is available for download here. A print version is also available for purchase throught the AMSEA Store.

Download the Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Digest
98 pages, 1.4 MB

December 15, 2008

AMSEA-Trained Instructors Provide Training For New Bedford, MA Fishermen

Rodney Avila, graduate of AMSEA's Marine Safety Instructor Training, is helping to bring safety training and awareness to Massachusetts. A new offering on YouTube provides a peek at the training being offered in New Bedford.

October 24, 2008

Seattle Offers Unique Trawl Net Recycling Program

The first-ever West Coast regional trawl net recycling program began at Port of Seattle’s Fishermen’s terminal on April 1.  The program offers free or low cost net and metal recycling to commercial fishing customer vessels moored at Fishermen’s Terminal, the region’s largest commercial fishing facility and home port of the North Pacific fishing fleet.

Participating vessels will be able to deliver nets to Fishermen’s Terminal for transport to Skagit River Steel and Recycling Company, based in nearby Burlington.  The project reduces solid waste by providing free or inexpensive alternative to landfill disposal, and was funded by a Marine Debris Prevention grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Nets stripped of metal chain, cable, shackles and floats and delivered free of debris will be recycled free of charge.  Fishermen’s Terminal and Maritime Industrial Center commercial fishing customers can participate by contacting the Port Office at 206-728-3395 in advance to arrange logistics.  Metal components leftover from the stripped nets will also be recycled onsite at no cost. 

Inquiries for low cost recycling of unstripped nets should be directed to Skagit River Steel and Recycling Company at 360-757-6096.

Commercial gillnets are also accepted free of charge for recycling from customers at Fishermen’s Terminal.

Recycling is not new to Fishermen’s Terminal - customers also have access to on-site recycling of aluminum, cardboard, ferrous and non ferrous metal, glass, paper, gillnets, used oil, and oily bilge water.

Fishermen’s Terminal is owned and operated by the Port of Seattle. The Trawl Net Recycling Program a component of the Port’s goal to become the cleanest, greenest, most energy-efficient port in the United States.

For more information call 206-728-3395, email the Port of Seattle or visit the Port of Seattle website.

June 20, 2008

Clean-Up Effort Removes Old Fishing Gear From Beaches

Above, a crew from the Tribal Ecosystem Conservation Office removes a huge trawl net
from a St. Paul island beach. Photo courtesy of Bob King, MCAF

"It was a huge piece of net, the biggest thing I've ever seen washed up on a beach.  Was the entire codend and chaffer gear – and more – of what our net experts think was a Korean trawl.  Had a relatively small mesh and could have been used for pollock or any groundfish and was probably very old.  The metal gear was heavily rusted," notes Bob King of the Marine Conservation Alliance Foundation (MCAF). "We came across it on the Polovina Rookery late Thursday and the entire crew spent all Friday morning cutting it up.  It filled the whole flatbed truck."

King was part of an effort earlier this month to remove lost and discarded fishing gear and other debris from beaches on St. Paul Island. AMSEA's Jerry Dzugan and Deborah Mercy, a videographer with the University of Alaska Marine Advisory Program (MAP), were also on hand. They were at work on a film,which AMSEA and MAP are producing with funding through MCAF.

The video, due out in November, will provide information about how marine debris affects the safety, health and economics of the commercial fishing industry. See AMSEA's download page for other materials produced on this topic thanks to funding from MCAF.

Below, Jerry Dzugan of AMSEA lends a hand during the recent clean-up on St. Paul Island.
Photo courtesy of Bob King, MCAF