Authorities investigate Kodiak diver death

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Old Harbor
Type: Death investigation
On 10/11/15 at approximately 1336 hours, Alaska State Troopers were notified of a deceased individual at Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center. Investigation revealed the U.S. Coast Guard had medevaced a diver from the F/V Momo and Maddie to the hospital emergency room. The vessel was participating in the sea cucumber commercial dive fishery near Port Hobron, approximately six miles from the village of Old Harbor. Further investigation identified the commercial diver as Gary Graves, 36, of Kodiak. The state medical examiner was notified of the death and requested the body be transported to their office for examination. Next of kin has been notified and the investigation continues.

Editor's note: State records list Gary A. Graves, of Dover, N.H., as the owner of the 47-foot Momo and Maddie.

Diver death reported at Ketchikan

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Ketchikan
Type: Death investigation
On 10/8/13 at approximately 1030 hours, a mayday went out from the F/V Ostrich, which was outside of Ketchikan. It was reported that there was an injured diver in need of assistance. The U.S. Coast Guard responded and assisted with transporting the diver to a hospital in Ketchikan. Troopers learned that after arriving at the hospital, 32-year-old Levi Adams, of Leawood, Kan., was declared deceased. The cause and circumstances of his death are under investigation. Next of kin for Adams has been notified.

Note: The U.S. Coast Guard said today "a person involved in the sea cucumber fishery died in a diving accident" on Tuesday. The Coast Guard, however, failed to name the victim.

Kodiak cucumber, urchin diving begins Oct. 1

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has announced red sea cucumber and green sea urchin quotas for Kodiak and areas west.

The quotas for the upcoming season, which opens Oct. 1, are just the same as last year's.

Sea cucumber diver dies near Annette Island

This just in from the U.S. Coast Guard:

Jan. 13, 2011

Coast Guard investigates commercial fisheries-related death

JUNEAU — Coast Guard investigators from Marine Safety Detachment Ketchikan are working with the Annette Island Department of Fish and Game and the Metlakatla Police Department in the investigation of a commercial diving death that occurred Wednesday on the 68-foot fishing tender Island Dancer near Annette Island.

Metlakatla police reported the incident to the Coast Guard at 2:30 p.m. and two Ketchikan-based investigators flew to Metlakatla to begin the investigation.

The crew of the commercial vessel Island Dancer has reportedly told investigators the diver surfaced and took off his mask and immediately sank about 1 p.m.

The crew reportedly pulled the diver out of the water using the air hose and immediately provided first aid.

The Island Dancer crew was reportedly fishing for sea cucumbers in Chester Bay near Metlakatla at the time of the incident.

Diving for dollars

Giant red sea cucumber. Photo by Eric Munk, NMFS Kodiak

Alaska's commercial fishing industry really doesn't have an off-season. Somebody is trying to catch something most all the time.

This month, for instance, a number of specialized commercial fisheries are opening.

Most of them involve divers going to the bottom to collect odd creatures that, frankly, aren't much in demand in the United States but command good money in Asia.

Here's a rundown of the action:

• The Southeast Alaska sea cucumber dive fishery opened Oct. 5 with a quota of almost 1.6 million pounds.

• The Southeast red sea urchin red sea urchin fishery opened Oct. 1 with a quota of almost 5.1 million pounds.

• The Southeast geoduck clam fishery opened Oct. 1 with a quota of 623,300 pounds.

• The Southeast pot shrimp fishery opened Oct. 1 with a quota of 692,400 pounds. Fishermen will be going after such species as spot and coonstripe shrimp.

• The Kodiak red sea cucumber fishery opened Oct. 1 with a quota of 140,000 pounds. Smaller quotas are available in the Chignik, Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea districts.

Deckboss would like to say he doesn't have much of a taste for sea cucumber or urchin, but he sure wouldn't turn down a box of those huge, luscious spot shrimp!