Watchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound were notified around 6 a.m. that the 48-foot F/V CHIEF JOSEPH, was in distress and taking on water. Aboard the vessel was one individual and a dog. The pair evacuated the vessel using a life raft. Sector watchstanders dispatched an MH-65 Dolphin…
Articles Posted in Maritime News
Peter Pan Seafoods in Receivership, $60 Million in Debt
The financial troubles of Peter Pan Seafoods have escalated. The King County Superior Court in Washington state has approved a request from Wells Fargo Bank to place the seafood processor into receivership. Peter Pan’s financial affairs will be overseen by the Los Angeles-based Stapleton Group. The petition filed last week…
Fisherman Found Dead Inside F/V Westerly
On Thursday March 28th, 2024, a fisherman lost his life in a fishing boat accident off Point Reyes, California. The incident was reported at approximately 4:30 p.m. prompting a response from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Helicopter Unit, known as Henry-1. The vessel involved was identified as the F/V WESTERLY,…
West Coast Ocean Salmon Season: Options Open for Public Review
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has crafted three options for 2024 ocean salmon fisheries along the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California, now open for public assessment. A final verdict on salmon seasons should be reached during the Council’s upcoming meeting scheduled for April 6-11, 2024, in Seattle, WA.…
Bering Sea Trawling Study Postponed
A federal agency has decided not to proceed with a controversial bottom-trawling experiment that was planned this year for the Northern Bering Sea. Tribal and environmental groups, prepared to take legal action to stop the project, are welcoming the decision. The Northern Bering Sea Effects of Trawling Study (NETS) aims…
USDA to Purchase Millions of Pounds of Alaska Seafood
On Tuesday February 14th, 2024, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make a significant purchase of Alaska salmon and pollock in support of food and nutrition initiatives. The ASMI stated that the purchase of seafood aims to support people experiencing food…
Fire at Peter Pan Seafood in Sand Point, Alaska
On Wednesday, February 7th, 2024, a fire broke out at the Peter Pan Seafood facility in Sand Point, Alaska. According to Edith Mejia, who serves as both the office manager and dispatcher for the police department, the fire likely began sometime between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. According to a…
OBI Seafoods Closes Larsen Bay This Season
On Wednesday, January 31st, 2024, OBI Seafoods verified that the Larsen Bay facility on Kodiak Island will remain closed for the 2024 salmon season. John Hanrahan, the CEO of OBI Seafoods, stated that operations will cease at the Larsen Bay plant due to the “poor pink salmon forecast” from Alaska’s…
Ocean Beauty Seafoods reveals plan to sell distribution business
In an official statement, Ocean Beauty Seafoods revealed that distribution operations, with facilities located in Astoria and Portland, Oregon; Boise, Idaho; Dallas, Texas; Helena, Montana; Renton, Washington; and Salt Lake City, Utah, are currently for sale. The company further stated that the sale aligns with the “long-term business strategy” of…
Derelict Vessel El Capitan Sinks off Orcas Island
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) were deployed on Saturday, November 18th, 2023, to address the sinking of the 80-foot vessel EL CAPITAN at West Sound Marina on Orcas Island. Watchstanders at Sector Puget Sound command center were…