Seattle sinking

A venerable fishing vessel, the Quaker Maid, sadly has sunk at Fishermen's Terminal in Seattle. We don't have any details on how this happened, nor do we know much about the vessel's history. The 72-foot wood boat, a Hanson make, was built in 1935, according to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission database. The boat was registered for many years with CFEC as a fish tender, with 2020 being the last year. Her homeport is listed as Excursion Inlet, and the owner is Quaker Maid Fisheries, of Lynnwood, Wash. Note the "for sale" sign on the wheelhouse. Jeff Pond photo

Nearly $1.2M penalty imposed in pollution case

Details in this press release from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Four rescued off sinking vessel near Sitka

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Search and rescue
On 1/19/15 at 0546 hours, the U.S. Coast Guard asked Alaska State Troopers and Sitka Mountain Rescue to assist in the recovery of four adults from the 80-foot tender F/V Eyak, which had run aground 16 miles south of Sitka. The vessel sustained hull damage and was taking on water. The captain was identified as David Castle, 48, of Sitka. Crewmembers were identified as 29-year-old Anna Zallau, 23-year-old Charles Wlaslewski and 49-year-old Debra Rose, all of Port Alexander. The captain and crew had no flotation devices or survival suits. An Alaska Wildlife Troopers vessel and a Sitka Mountain Rescue vessel with divers responded to the scene and recovered the captain and crew from the sinking vessel at 0755 hours. The vessel flipped and sank shortly after and only a small portion remained above water. No one was injured and all rescued parties refused medical attention. A Good Samaritan vessel is attempting to pull the vessel to a better grounding location.

Another tender goes down

Man, it's been a tough season for fish tenders.

State officials say the 72-foot tender Pacific Queen hit a rock and sank this week in Duncan Canal southwest of Petersburg.

The wood-hulled boat, built in 1938, belongs to Joseph Lykken, of Wrangell.

Fate Hunter finds disaster

The fish tender Fate Hunter, partially sunk about seven miles west of Valdez. The 65-foot steel-hulled vessel was heading to Valdez after taking aboard 150,000 pounds of salmon when it ran aground Sunday morning. A nearby vessel, the Akemi, picked up the Fate Hunter's uninjured crew. The tender belongs to Smotherman Fishing Inc. of Hammond, Ore. Efforts are under way to recover fuel from the vessel. DEC photo

Bristol Bay fishery closure lifted

Bristol Bay fishery managers have lifted the closure imposed after the salmon tender Lone Star sank Sunday in the Igushik River.

Meantime, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has issued this situation report, which includes a couple of photos of the partially sunken vessel.

Update on the Lone Star sinking

The U.S. Coast Guard has released a few more details on the sinking of the salmon tender Lone Star in the Igushik River at Bristol Bay.

"The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has conducted an overflight of the site and reports a narrow sheen extending approximately four miles," the Coast Guard says.

The good Samaritan vessel Tradition responded to the report of the sinking vessel, rescued the four Lone Star crewmen and took them to Dillingham.

The Lone Star is partially submerged in 18 feet of water and reportedly has 14,000 gallons of diesel, 250 gallons of gasoline, 150 gallons of lube oil and 150 gallons of hydraulic fluid aboard.

The Coast Guard has issued a broadcast notice to mariners that the overturned vessel is 3.5 miles north of the mouth of the Igushik River, and boats in the area should maintain a sharp lookout to avoid collision.

As for how the Lone Star sank, a crewmember said that while at anchor a change in the tide "swung the ship against the anchor chain, detaching the transducer and coolant lines," the Coast Guard says. "This created a hole in the steel hull and caused the vessel to take on water."

KDLG radio reports the Lone Star was working for Trident Seafoods.

Trouble in Bristol Bay

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game shut down the local setnet fishery after a salmon tender, the Lone Star, sank this morning in the mouth of the Igushik River.

The good news is all four crewmen aboard the vessel are safe. In fact, they never even got wet, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman told Deckboss.

The Coast Guard received a mayday at 6:57 a.m. from the master of the Lone Star, who said his vessel was taking on water.

The crew got into a raft, and made it onto another vessel, the Coast Guard spokesman said.

The Department of Fish and Game in Dillingham issued an emergency order for Igushik setnetters to pull their nets due to the possibility of fuel in the water.

"If fish are contaminated they should be isolated and destroyed," the Fish and Game announcement said.

The Lone Star rolled over, the department said. But the vessel remains sticking out of the water, the Coast Guard spokesman said.

State records indicate the 86-foot, steel-hulled Lone Star belongs to Charles A. Burrece, of Bellingham, Wash.

Tenderman dies after ammonia leak at Sitka

KCAW Raven Radio in Sitka reports an 82-year-old man has died after an ammonia leak aboard the fish tender Eigil B. More here.

Crew rescued, but tender is in tough spot

The fish tender St. Joseph, beached between Cape Suckling and Cape Yakataga. A Coast Guard helicopter safely hoisted the five-member crew Friday night after the vessel lost steering in 20-foot seas 52 miles southeast of Cordova. The abandoned boat then went aground. "We are working diligently with the owner of the vessel to develop salvage and response plans to recover the St. Joesph from the beach," said Lt. Doreen McCarthy, command duty officer of Marine Safety Unit Valdez. "At this time there is no reported pollution." State records list the owner as Jeff Schock of Everett, Wash. Copper River Seafoods photo via USCG

Man found dead in Yukon after fish tender flips

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: St. Marys
Type: Death investigation
On 8/24/11 at approximately 0930 hours, St. Marys-based Alaska State Troopers were notified of an overdue Boreal Fisheries tender boat. The boat reportedly was supposed to have returned to the Boreal Fisheries dock, which is approximately 10 miles south of St. Marys on the Yukon River. The boat was last heard from at approximately 2300 hours on 8/23/11. At about 1040 hours, an AST Caravan from Bethel located the boat floating upside down and stationary approximately four miles downriver from Boreal Fisheries. The sole occupant and skipper of the vessel was reported to be Gerald Richardson Minock, 23, of Pilot Station. Approximately 10 boats and 30 searchers initially responded to the scene and searched the river between Pilot Station and Mountain Village. Weather conditions in the area last night were reported to be windy and rainy. At about 1245 hours, troopers were notified that two hunters located a deceased adult male in his early 20s floating in the middle of the Yukon River at the upper end of Thatcher Island below Mountain Village. The male was wearing a Boreal Fisheries life jacket. The body was transported to the St. Marys dock where, upon their return to the village at about 1530 hours, state troopers took possession of the body. The deceased male was positively identified by his next of kin as Minock. There were no obvious signs of trauma and alcohol does not appear to be a factor in this incident. Additional investigation by St. Marys troopers revealed that the 32-foot semi "V" hull with twin outboard motors appeared to have been overloaded, according to a fisherman who observed the boat when he offloaded fish around 2130 hours on 8/23/11. The transom reportedly was partially out of the water and the bow of the boat appeared to be low in the water, which resulted in only 6 to 8 inches of freeboard in the rough waters of the Yukon River. The state medical examiner's office was contacted and requested the body be transported to Anchorage for an autopsy. The body has been transported by state aircraft to Bethel and will be shipped commercially to Anchorage on the next available flight.

Nice save

The grounded fishing vessel Nor'Quest was successfully removed yesterday and will be towed to Dutch Harbor for inspection and repairs, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation reports. The boat, which was in Togiak Bay to tender herring for Icicle Seafoods, lost its anchor and grounded May 25 on a gravel beach along the north side of Hagemeister Island. The vessel refloated after fuel was removed. State records indicate the Nor'Quest is owned by SRW Marine Services LLC, whose organizer is John Casperson of Seattle. DEC photo

Afloat again

A salvage crew today successfully towed the refloated salmon tender Cape Cross to Seward, the U.S. Coast Guard reports. The boat went aground July 26 in Main Bay in western Prince William Sound, forcing a commercial fishing closure. Responders worked hard to keep any fuel spillage from reaching the nearby Main Bay salmon hatchery. Magone Marine refloated the vessel Tuesday after inserting flotation foam into the hull. Naturally, no one is saying anything of substance as to the cause of the grounding, many days after the event. It remains "under investigation," the Coast Guard says. USCG photo

Bad day in Main Bay

The 102-foot salmon tender Cape Cross swamped after running aground at 5 a.m. Monday in Main Bay in Prince William Sound. The fishing vessel Josie safely picked up all seven crewmen. The U.S. Coast Guard reports a spat of groundings around the state, including the sinking of the 34-foot troller Arcola at Swanson Harbor in Southeast Alaska. USCG photo

Trident planning big chill in Bristol Bay

The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association posted this today on its Web site:

Oct. 30, 2009

Trident introduces dedicated tenders for chilled fish

In a letter to its Bristol Bay fleet dated Oct. 22, Trident Seafoods announced it will introduce dedicated tenders for fishermen who chill their catch.

The BBRSDA wishes to extend its support to Trident for taking this step.

Board member Mike LaRussa's reaction was typical of the board.

"This is pretty big. It's an early signal of a major shift taking place in Bristol Bay. I remember two or three years ago, the board was discussing this as one of the indicators we would watch for to tell us that our 'Quality, Quality, Quality' message was showing results. We still have a lot of work to do, obviously, to see that everybody in the bay is able to deliver a top-notch product. But this is encouraging."

Dedicated tenders will enable Trident — and eventually other processors as well — to send dry fish to canning lines and chilled fish to fillet and H&G lines. According to board member Chris McDowell, "The aggregate quality of their frozen pack will likely see a substantial jump, at a time when the H&G market seems to be heating up a little."

LaRussa quoted the letter he received from Trident: "The plan is to start this program in the Egegik and Naknek districts in 2010, making every attempt to segregate chilled and nonchilled sockeye. This will allow us to channel your best fish and our best fish to premium-value product forms for fresh sales and fillets — products that offer better value and return."

Salvage plans emerge for grounded tender

Here's the salmon tender Unimak, which went aground Thursday near Chignik. Three crewmen got off safely in a life raft and were taken to shore on the good Samaritan boat Sylvia Star. Magone Marine out of Dutch Harbor has been hired for the salvage job, the U.S. Coast Guard reported today. The 83-foot, wood-hulled tender had about 800 gallons of diesel on board. USCG photo