Longliner crew rescued near Dutch Harbor

A Coast Guard helicopter this morning safely rescued four fishermen whose boat went aground near Dutch Harbor.

The Coast Guard identified the boat as the Chaos, a 54-foot longliner out of Homer. More details here.

Coast Guard medevacs longliner crewman

A Coast Guard helicopter today safely hoisted an ailing crewman off the longliner Polaris.

The 76-foot vessel was located 23 miles northwest of Chirikof Island in the Gulf of Alaska.

The crewman, 57, reportedly was suffering from abdominal pain, the Coast Guard said.

Coast Guard medevacs crewman near Cold Bay

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter out of Kodiak today hoisted an ailing crewman off the 124-foot fishing vessel Bering Leader some 57 miles northwest of Cold Bay.

The Coast Guard said it received a call at 8:02 a.m. from HealthForce Partners in Seattle requesting a medevac for the 39-year-old crewman reportedly suffering from stroke-like symptoms.

A sinking and a sub

Dutch Harbor radio reporter Alexandra Gutierrez snapped this curious photo on Thursday. Look at it closely. On the left, under the dock there, you can see the fishing vessel Zenith almost fully submerged and enclosed with orange boom. Gutierrez reported the boat went down quickly Thursday morning "for reasons still unknown," and the U.S. Coast Guard was investigating. Now look to the right side of the photo, out in the water. That would be one of the Navy's fast-attack, Los Angeles-class nuclear submarines, making a rare and brief appearance in the harbor for a crew change. On Thursday morning. Well, let me torpedo any conspiracy theories right now by saying Deckboss is sure the sinking and the sub are entirely, positively unrelated.

Five crewmen saved but boat wrecks near Dutch

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew today hoisted five fishermen off a disabled and adrift longliner, but efforts to save the boat failed and now she's gone aground southwest of Dutch Harbor.

The TerriGail, described as a 58-footer out of Kodiak, grounded at 2:50 p.m. in Alimuda Bay on Unalaska Island, the Coast Guard said.

Here's more from a Coast Guard press release:

The crew of the 378-foot cutter Morgenthau received the initial mayday call via VHF radio at 4:04 a.m. from the TerriGail crew reporting a marine casualty and that they were about 40 miles from Unalaska. The Coast Guard 17th District command center diverted the Morgenthau which was about 10 miles away and requested the assistance of the tug Redeemer located in Dutch Harbor.

The Morgenthau arrived on scene about 8:30 a.m. to monitor the situation while the TerriGail crew tried to make any repairs. After the TerriGail crew determined the casualty couldn't be fixed the cutter prepared for towing the fishing vessel. However, the cutter was unable to connect its tow line to the adrift boat.

Double bird trouble for Bering Sea longliners

You might have caught the news that a commercial vessel fishing for cod in the Bering Sea recently took an endangered short-tailed albatross as bycatch.

You might also know that killing even one of these great gliders is a serious threat to the fishery. Now comes word from a trade association, the Freezer Longline Coalition, that two albatross have been caught.

The group wants to make sure people understand the fleet's sterling record on avoiding the birds. Hence, this press release:

Sept. 15, 2010

Alaska longline fleet takes first short-tailed albatross in 12 years

SEATTLE — The Freezer Longline Coalition has received confirmation that two short-tailed albatross have been incidentally taken by longline vessels fishing in Alaska.

The first was taken Aug. 27 by a longliner fishing in the Bering Sea. A second bird, confirmed this morning as a short-tailed albatross, was taken on Sept. 14, also in the Bering Sea fishery.

FLC Executive Director Kenny Down responded in a statement to his board of directors:

"After 12 years with no takes this has come as especially bad news. A perfect record for 12 years has been viewed by all concerned as remarkable and we were hopeful this day would never come."

The FLC fleet of vessels was the leader in implementing avoidance measures that resulted in reducing all bird bycatch by nearly 80 percent.

These vessels voluntarily implemented measures nearly two years before governmental regulations mandated them. The fleet has also been the leader in pursuing funding for the short-tailed albatross recovery plan and the numbers of birds are on the increase as a result.

FLC President David Little reiterated the fleet's commitment to protect the short-tailed albatross and all seabirds.

"Efforts at eliminating these incidental takes are being reviewed by every Freezer Longline Coalition vessel," he said. "Known effective measures reducing these takes are always in effect on the vessels, and we are consulting with bird avoidance experts to identify any additional measures that can be put in place."

The short-tailed albatross is listed under the Endangered Species Act. As such, incidental takes in the longline fishery are regulated and limits are set. The limit under the current ESA biological opinion is four birds in a two-year cycle. If that level is exceeded, it automatically initiates an ESA Section 7 consultation involving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. New regulations and further avoidance measures could be placed on the fishery.

Reaction from experts in the field has been supportive of the Freezer Longline Coalition's efforts to date and continued commitment to proven practices.

"The Alaskan cod freezer longliner fleet has been one of the most proactive fleets anywhere in the world in trying to reduce their bycatch of seabirds," said Shannon Fitzgerald, seabird biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. "They have been especially concerned with trying to eliminate the bycatch of short-tailed albatross. Given the high levels of observer coverage on these vessels, they should be commended for going 12 years without an observed take and for the nearly 80 percent reduction overall in seabird bycatch. Their history of collaboration and taking the lead in seabird bycatch reduction is a model for other fisheries. Early on, they stepped up and asked for mitigation gear to be required, were an integral component of the research led by Washington Sea Grant on streamer lines, voluntarily started using streamer lines two years before regulations required their use, and have worked throughout it all to take advantage of in-season data produced by the observer program to monitor individual vessel performance. Their efforts continue as we are currently working with the Freezer Longline Coalition to develop programs to further reduce seabird bycatch by its vessels."

"The performance of the freezer longline vessels fishing for cod has been exemplary over the last decade," said Ed Melvin, the Washington Sea Grant scientist whose research led to the current seabird bycatch mitigation requirements in Alaska longline fisheries.

"These recent mortalities of short-tailed albatross in the Bering Sea are very unfortunate," added Melvin, a member of the short-tailed albatross recovery team. "But I am sure that the industry will explore fully what led to these incidents and improve its seabird conservation efforts."

Four rescued after longliner burns off Kodiak

Here's good news from the U.S. Coast Guard:

ANCHORAGE — Coast Guard rescue crews responding to an emergency position-indicating radio beacon rescued four fishermen after their Kodiak-based 52-foot longline fishing vessel Nakat was engulfed in flames today five miles off of Sitkinak Island and 80 miles southwest of Kodiak.

Capt. Joe Macinko and Andrew Macinko, both of Kodiak, Wyatt Adams of Anchorage and David Merriman of Shelton, Wash., were hoisted by the aircrew and taken to Kodiak in good condition.

The 17th District Command Center received the automated emergency alert from the Nakat at 8:29 a.m. and immediately launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and a HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Air Station Kodiak.

The Coast Guard aircraft arrived on scene at 10:20 a.m. and found the Nakat on fire. The Hercules crew quickly located a life raft more than two miles away from the burning vessel and and the Jayhawk crew safely hoisted the four crewmen with no injuries reported.

"The use of the EPIRB was instrumental to having been able to rescue the fishermen," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Jason Ernst, Sector Anchorage Command Center watchstander. "It appears the crew had no time to make a mayday call and without the EPIRB we may have never known that they were in trouble and in need of rescuing."

The cause of the fire is not known at this time and under investigation.

Nice save!

All hands made it safely off the Cape Spencer. USCG photo

The U.S. Coast Guard says it rescued four crewman today from a sinking longliner three miles south of Montague Island.

A Coast Guard helicopter from Cordova picked up the four from a life raft. They were identified as Kenai residents Thomas Tomrdle, 61, and son Thomas Tomrdle, 29; James Hielala, 70, of Sterling; and Jeremy Sullivan, 34, of Whittier.

The Coast Guard received a mayday call at 9:45 a.m. reporting the 47-foot fishing vessel Cape Spencer was sinking and the crew had donned immersion suits and abandoned ship into the raft.

The helicopter, already in the air for training, arrived on scene at 10:18 a.m. and safely hoisted all four crewmembers. They were delivered in good condition to the Seward airport about 75 minutes later, the Coast Guard said.

"They called the Coast Guard immediately, they had their survival suits on and the life raft inflated and everyone got into it," said Cmdr. Shawn Tripp, the helicopter pilot. "These guys did everything right to be rescued successfully."

The good Samaritan vessel Tia Rose picked up the Cape Spencer's empty life raft and a Zodiac that was drifting in the area.

The Cape Spencer, a Juneau-based longliner, sank completely, the Coast Guard said.

High-seas save

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew today hoisted a man with chest pains off the icy deck of the 150-foot factory longliner Alaskan Leader about 265 miles northwest of St. Paul Island.

Chad Smith, 40, was medevaced to St. Paul and then to an Anchorage hospital.

Here's some Coast Guard video of the Alaskan Leader crew preparing the patient for the hoist.