The legal fallout

Regular Deckboss readers surely will recall our post on a violent skirmish involving three fishing vessels in Prince William Sound.

One of those boats, the salmon seiner Temptation, sustained serious collision damage in the August 2016 incident, and a crewman was injured badly enough to require a U.S. Coast Guard medevac.

Well, much has transpired since in terms of legal fallout.

The injured crewman, the Temptation's skipper, and others brought this lawsuit in federal court in Anchorage.

Court papers filed in recent days indicate the parties are close to finalizing a settlement of the case. The papers don't reveal the terms of the settlement.

On another front, Kami Christine Cabana has been indicted on a felony charge of assault in the first degree.

The federal lawsuit says Cabana was the operator of the F/V Chugach Pearl, one of two boats alleged to have struck the Temptation.

Gangster fishing?

The F/V Temptation with significant damage to its port side.

The Alaska State Troopers are investigating an incident in which a commercial salmon seiner was rammed in Hidden Bay in western Prince William Sound.

It occurred the morning of Aug. 15 during the pink salmon fishery.

Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said three vessels were involved in the incident: the Temptation, Chugach Pearl and Silver Streak.

She was unable to say which boat did what.

But a reader tells Deckboss it was the Temptation that took the hit, as evidenced by these photos.

A 23-year-old crewman aboard the Temptation was injured, Peters said. He reportedly needed a Coast Guard medevac.

Now, we all know Alaska commercial fishing can get a bit rough, with boats swapping curses and even a little paint. Tempers can easily flare on the water.

But this case might have had an extra dimension.

The story goes that a group of cooperating boats had formed a blockade to prevent competing vessels from accessing the pink salmon.

When the Temptation, which was not part of the group, tried to run through, a blockading boat rammed the Temptation midships on the port side.

Did it really happen this way?

Deckboss can't say for sure. All we know is the Temptation appears to have taken a pretty hard lick.

The reader who brought this case to our attention says this kind of rough, organized fishing has gone on for too long and must stop.

Let's hope the troopers can get to the bottom of the Hidden Bay case.