Equipment

Aug 22
2 min

Preventing Falls Overboard

It may seem obvious, but staying out of the water dramatically improves your chances of survival on a commercial fishing vessel. No one...

Feb 21
2 min

Satellite Technology is Changing the Safety World

Emergency satellite devices have never been more reliable, with increased satellites in the sky and devices that reach over 22,000 miles...

Jan 5
3 min

Man-Overboard, the reality of solo-fishing and falling overboard.

Fishing alone on the boat, sleepy, and maybe a little careless, the wrong roll of the deck while climbing into the pit with a cup of...

Nov 23, 2022
1 min

Update on Immersion Suit Cosmetic Defect

In June 2022, the USCG inspection officers noticed a defect in many of the immersion suits they were examining. There was delamination...

May 5, 2020
2 min

You’re Ready to Fish, So Where is Your PFD?

You have finished your boat and gear work. The boat is fueled and iced. You have groceries and crew aboard and you are ready to slip the...

Jan 27, 2020
2 min

SARSAT System Saved 421 Lives in 2019

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maintains a network of satellites called SARSAT, that helps forecasters track weather...

Jan 17, 2020
3 min

Winter is Off to a Rough Start

This winter has gotten off to a rough start when it comes to commercial fishing vessel casualties. On December 31, two crew survived and...

Sep 11, 2019
1 min

Fishing Safety Success Story: The More You Wear It, The Better Off You Are

Dennis Robillard and his son, Tyler, are New England lobstermen and they know the value of wearing a PFD while on deck. After attending...

Feb 21, 2019
2 min

How Do You Really Feel About PFDs?

Nearly every AMSEA class covers the importance of wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) while on deck. AMSEA instructors have...

Feb 1, 2019
3 min

Time to Repack My Life Raft...Again?!?!

Under federal regulation (46 CFR 28.140), any commercial fishing vessel that is required to have a survival craft, must have its...

Jan 11, 2019
2 min

U.S. Coast Guard Releases New Video on EPIRBs

In an emergency, activating your vessel's EPIRB is the most certain method of summoning help. But, have you ever wondered what happens if...

Dec 4, 2018
2 min

FCC Rules Prohibit AIS Fishing Buoys

We just received an FCC Enforcement Advisory from our local Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Examiner. The Federal Communications...

Aug 16, 2018
1 min

LED Lights May Interfere with Reception on Marine VHF Radios & AIS Receivers

The U.S. Coast Guard is alerting mariners to the potential for LED lights to interfere with the reception of marine VHF radios and AIS...

Jul 25, 2018
2 min

How to Increase Your Chances of Surviving a Vessel Sinking

Earlier this year, researchers in the NIOSH Commercial Fishing Safety Program published a study of factors associated with fishing crews...

Jun 26, 2018
1 min

Coast Guard Issues a Marine Safety Alert for Defective Type-I PFDs

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a Marine Safety Alert for defective Type-I Personal Flotation Devices (PFD). The defect renders the PFD...

Mar 27, 2018
2 min

Coast Guard Urges Mariners to Inspect Immersion Suit Zippers

UPDATE 03/30/2018: We asked Scott Wilwert, the lead Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Examiner for U.S.C.G. District 17, for some...

Feb 9, 2018
5 min

It's Time to Inspect Your Immersion Suit!

Your immersion suit is a bit like a parachute. When aviators are forced to "bail out", they rely on their parachutes to get them to the...

Feb 5, 2018
2 min

PFDs That Work

AMSEA instructor, Beverly Noll, called this morning with the sad news that a fisherman was lost overboard off the coast of Northern...

Feb 5, 2018
1 min

PFDs Just Helped Save Two Commercial Fishermen in the Bering Sea

Why are these guys smiling? Maybe because they know that the PFDs they are wearing just might save their lives. Photo credit: Ted...

Dec 29, 2017
3 min

Cold Water Immersion Risks

Often, when we discuss cold water immersion in our marine safety workshops, students will bring up the dangers of hypothermia. Their...

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