Maritime Injury Law Blog

Published on: October 20, 2026

The Comeback of the Yelloweye Rockfish

Most folks who grew up along the Pacific Northwest coast remember rockfish on the dinner table. The firm, mild white fillets were a fixture at fish counters and family tables as they were sturdy enough to fry, bake, or simmer in a chowder. That firm white flesh also worked well with butter, garlic, and herbs. Of the many rockfish species, the yelloweye, often sold as “red snapper,” was considered a high-quality protein. After a quarter century off the menu, it is on its way back.

Yelloweye rockfish are hard to mistake, with bright orange bodies, golden eyes, and rough ridges above each eye. They are among the largest rockfish, reaching about three feet in length and over 30 pounds, and they live on rugged, rocky reefs where they hunt smaller fish, crab, and squid. They reside in the East Pacific and range from Baja California to Dutch Harbor in Alaska. What sets them apart is their lifespan, as yelloweye rockfish can live as long as 147 years. They grow slowly, and it takes about 20 years before even half of them are old enough to reproduce.

That slow growth is what made them vulnerable. Catches peaked from the late 1970s through the late 1990s, and the population could not be sustained. In 2002, yelloweye rockfish were declared overfished off the West Coast, and keeping them was prohibited. With an average generation time of 44 years, fishery managers projected only a 50 percent chance of recovery by 2027, even if all fishing stopped.

Published on: October 14, 2026

Coast Guard Medevacs Ailing Crew Member From Cargo Ship Off Hawaii

by Nigel Stacey

On Wednesday, October 7th, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard medevaced an ailing crew member from the M/V OCEAN GLADIATOR, a 545-foot U.S. flagged cargo ship, which was located about 86 miles off the Big Island of Hawaii. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point hoisted a 55-year-old man at 8:35 a.m. and flew him to Hilo International Airport, where he was transferred to a higher level of medical care.

The call for help came a day earlier. At 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, October 6, watchstanders at Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received a request from the ship’s crew, who reported that a crew member had been experiencing a medical condition aboard the vessel. At the time, the M/V OCEAN GLADIATOR was roughly 540 miles southeast of the Big Island, beyond helicopter range. After consulting with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac. Watchstanders kept in contact with the crew to monitor the patient and planned the hoist for when the ship came within reach of the helicopter.

The M/V OCEAN GLADIATOR was on a long voyage from Baltimore to Manila, carrying two decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard cutters to the Philippine Coast Guard, along with a fuel barge, as deck cargo. Tracking data showed the vessel resumed its voyage after the medevac. The U.S. Coast Guard has not released details about the man’s condition, and we wish him a full recovery.

Published on: October 13, 2026

Bering Sea Crab Seasons Open October 15, 2026, With Higher King and Tanner Crab Quotas

by Nigel Stacey

Crabbers across the Bering Sea are getting ready for opening day. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has released catch limits for the Bristol Bay red king crab, Bering Sea snow crab, and Tanner crab seasons, which all open this week on Thursday, October 15th, 2026.

The Bristol Bay red king crab total allowable catch is set at 3.41 million pounds, more than half a million pounds above last season. The limit for Tanner crab rose even more significantly, to 32.1 million pounds. Of that, 27.2 million pounds is allocated to the western Bering Sea. The snow crab limit fell by nearly half to 5.1 million pounds, as the stock is still rebuilding after the population crash that closed the fishery for the first time in 2022. Experts estimate that the combined season could be worth over $250 million.

The recovery follows a hard few years for the people who work these waters. The fleet has shrunk from approximately 60 vessels to 40 since the closures. Most of the boats that left were independent and family-owned. For second and third generation fishing families, the closures have been especially painful. Many rely on one fishery for their livelihood, so a closed season can mean a lost year of income. Industry leaders expect this year’s higher quotas to help some of them return, bringing the fleet back up to about 45 vessels.

Published on: October 6, 2026

Immersion Suit and Float Plan Help Save Fisherman After F/V TYEE Sinks Near Admiralty Island

by Nigel Stacey

A Southeast Alaska fisherman is recovering in Sitka after his 40-foot wooden fishing vessel, the F/V TYEE, sank near Murder Cove on the southern tip of Admiralty Island. The U.S. Coast Guard reports that the details of his rescue offer a clear lesson in how preparation can change the outcome of an emergency at sea.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the boater left Sitka on Friday, September 25th, bound for Ketchikan, and was expected to arrive Monday evening or Tuesday. He was last heard from near Murder Cove around 6 a.m. on Sunday, September 27th. After he was reported overdue at 10:28 a.m. on Monday, September 28th, 2026, watchstanders at Sector Southeast Alaska tried to reach him by VHF radio and cellphone. When those attempts failed, they launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka and the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter PIKE.

That afternoon, a nearby fishing vessel acting as a good Samaritan found an ice chest and life raft in Murder Cove. About two hours later, the helicopter crew located the man on the Admiralty Island shoreline, two miles east of the cove, and hoisted him aboard for transport to waiting emergency medical personnel in Sitka.

Published on: September 29, 2026

A New Book Revisits the Sinking of Scandies Rose

by Nigel Stacey

On New Year’s Eve 2019, the 130-foot F/V SCANDIES ROSE went down in heavy weather and freezing spray about 170 miles southwest of Kodiak. Five crew members were lost; Captain Gary Cobban Jr., his son David Cobban, Seth Rousseau-Gano, Arthur Ganacias, and Brock Rainey. Two men, Dean Gribble Jr. and Jon Lawler, were washed off the hull, found a life raft, and waited about five hours for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Nearly seven years later, Decker Watson has told the story at book length in The Sinking of the Scandies Rose. Watson, a longtime Deadliest Catch producer, knows this fleet well. The book follows the crew and their families, the vessel, the rescue, and the Marine Board of Investigation.

For anyone who has broken ice off a deck or waited on news of someone at sea, it will not be an easy read. However, it is an honest one.

Published on: September 22, 2026

Bering Sea Crab Season Gears Up; So Do the Risks for Alaska’s Fleet

by Nigel Stacey

Pre-season vessel registration for Bristol Bay red king crab, Eastern and Western Bering Sea Tanner crab, and Bering Sea snow crab opened on August 20, 2026, marking the start of one of Alaska’s most significant fishing seasons.

Vessels are already registering through the Dutch Harbor Alaska Department of Fish and Game office, with the red king crab and Tanner crab seasons set to open in mid-October. For the crews who make their living out of one of the busiest commercial fishing ports in the country, good preparation is as important as the fishing itself.

Bering Sea crab fishing statistically remains one of the most dangerous jobs in America. Crews haul heavy steel pots in some of the roughest, coldest water in the world, often working through darkness, freezing spray, and gale force winds.

Published on: September 15, 2026

F/V EMILY ROSE Takes on Water Near Long Island, Alaska

by Nigel Stacey

Four crew members aboard the F/V EMILY ROSE had a close call Thursday evening, September 10, 2026, after their vessel struck a rock near Long Island, Alaska, and began rapidly taking on water. U.S. Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic watchstanders received a VHF distress call around 9:15 p.m. and immediately issued an urgent marine information broadcast while directing an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak to the scene.

Two good Samaritan vessels, the F/V LADY SEA and the F/V JACKLYN W, answered the broadcast and made their way to the F/V EMILY ROSE. Together with the U.S. Coast Guard aircrew, they delivered dewatering pumps to help slow the flooding. The F/V LADY SEA’s crew then tied to the F/V EMILY ROSE and pinned it against the shore to prevent the vessel from sinking while waiting for the tide to go out. Once the tide fell, grounding the vessel, the F/V EMILY ROSE crew patched the source of the flooding and tested the repair when the tide came back in. The F/V LADY SEA towed the F/V EMILY ROSE about 11 miles to Fuller Boat Yard in Kodiak for a full assessment, with U.S. Coast Guard Cutter FREDERICK MANN (WPC 1160) standing by to escort and monitor the situation. This incident demonstrates how much commercial fishing safety in Alaska still depends on other boats in the water.

Fast radio communication, a quick U.S. Coast Guard response, and two fishing crews willing to rise to the occasion reveal something important about the fishing fleet in these waters. Good Samaritan responses are part of the culture of Alaska’s commercial fishing industry, where boats routinely divert course, share equipment, or tie to a vessel without a second thought.

Published on: September 15, 2026

Navita™ Has Officially Launched, What It Means for Fishermen Applying for Credentials

by Nigel Stacey

The U.S. Coast Guard’s new digital credentialing platform, Navita™, has officially launched. The agency announced its initial release this month, confirming what we flagged back in August. The new electronic system is now replacing much of the paper process mariners have used for years to apply for and renew their Merchant Mariner Credentials.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Navita is meant to cut down on the errors and delays that come with manual paperwork by offering a guided application that flags missing information before it becomes an issue. The system also automates fee calculation, integrates with Pay.gov for payments, and allows mariners to submit course completion records and sea service documentation electronically. RDML Rob Compher, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, described the goal as “building a system around the mariner experience so that a strong, ready workforce can keep supply chains and national defense readiness intact”. Navita is part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s broader Digital Transformation Strategy.

For commercial fishermen working out of Seattle, Kodiak, and Dutch Harbor, this launch matters in a practical way. A valid Merchant Mariner Credential is required paperwork. Every commercial fishing vessel needs at least one person aboard holding one, and depending on the vessel and its operation, several crew members may need one as well. A missed renewal or a credential held up in processing can mean missing a season entirely.

Published on: September 9, 2026

Two Boaters Lost Near St. Lawrence Island

by Nigel Stacey

It is with great sadness that we report the loss of two boaters from Savoonga, Alaska, a village of about 800 people on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. Three people, including a 15-year-old, left Savoonga on an 18-foot skiff on Friday, September 4, 2026, and were expected home by 3 a.m. on Sunday, September 6, 2026. When the boat did not return, Alaska State Troopers notified the U.S. Coast Guard, but poor weather kept search aircraft grounded until Monday morning, September 7, 2026.

That afternoon, a U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules crew located the capsized skiff about four miles east of the island and found the 15-year-old clinging to the hull, showing signs of hypothermia. The aircrew dropped a life raft and survival equipment, then guided the nearby good Samaritan F/V NORTHWEST EXPLORER, to the scene with a line of flares. The other two boaters were recovered from the water. They were unresponsive and brought aboard along with the teenager for transport to Nome.

“Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and communities affected by the tragic loss of these two mariners,” said Rear Adm. Bob Little, the commander of the Arctic District. “We are grateful for the incredible efforts of the motor vessel Northwest Explorer, Federal, State, Village first responders and mission partners who assisted in the effort that resulted in a life saved.”

Published on: September 9, 2026

Back to School, Back to Sea, Safety Refresher for the Fleet

by Nigel Stacey

September brings its own version of “back to school” for Alaska’s maritime workers. Southeast salmon crews are finishing their season, Bering Sea crab boats are completing preseason registration ahead of the 2026-2027 season, and deckhands across the region are pulling gear out of storage. It is a good time for a refresher to remember the basics for keeping crew members safe when conditions turn treacherous.

This week, the U.S. Coast Guard ended a search near St. Lawrence Island after an 18-foot skiff carrying three people capsized in the Bering Sea. One teenager survived after clinging to the overturned hull for hours. Tragically, two others did not make it back. The outcome highlights something every mariner knows. In cold water, an overboard victim has very little time. At Bering Sea temperatures, a person without proper protection can lose useful hand and arm function within minutes and can succumb to hypothermia before help arrives, even when a search begins quickly.

That is exactly why immersion suits and EPIRBs are not optional gear on a commercial vessel, they are required by federal regulation for good reason. An immersion suit, when properly stowed, sized, and in good working order, can buy a person in the water hours rather than minutes. An EPIRB that is registered, tested, and mounted where it can be reached in an emergency gives searchers a starting point instead of open ocean to cover, the same kind of search area the U.S. Coast Guard faced off Gloucester, Massachusetts earlier this year when the F/V LILY JEAN was lost with her crew. Safety equipment does not help anyone if it goes unused.