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.…
Maritime Injury Law Blog
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…
What Caused the Sinking of the F/V Hotspur?
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has completed an inquiry into the 2022 sinking of the F/V HOTSPUR near Prince of Wales Island. The report concludes that an unnoticed leak in an unoccupied area likely caused the vessel to lose stability, capsize, and sink near Nunez Rocks. Bilge alarms failed…
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…
Ilwaco Community Salvaging Crabbing Season After Fire
On Monday, January 22nd, 2023, at about 11 AM, calls flooded 911 dispatchers with reports of a blaze at the Ilwaco Landing Cannery. The Ilwaco Fire Department, headed by Fire Chief Jeff Archer, promptly responded to the distress calls. The fire originated on the Ilwaco Landing wharf, situated over Baker…
4 Rescued After F/V Alaska Rose Capsized
U.S. Coast Guard members, along with the crew of the good Samaritan vessel KYLIA, successfully rescued four individuals from a fishing boat that capsized about 2 miles northeast of Chiniak Island, Alaska. Watchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage were alerted at around 4:31 p.m. on Sunday, January 21st, 2024,…
No Processing for Peter Pan Seafood at King Cove Plant
Peter Pan Seafood has been processing Alaskan seafood including salmon, halibut, crab, and caviar since 1912. With processing plants in Dillingham, Port Moller, King Cove, and Valdez, they employ approximately 1,310 people during peak season. The fishing industry in Southwest Alaska is facing a significant blow as Peter Pan Seafood…
Air Circulation Implemented on Genius Star XI after Cargo Fire
On January 5th, 2024, the Salvage Marine Firefighting team executed an air circulation procedure endorsed by the Unified Command after the Genius Star XI, a 410-foot general cargo ship reported a fire on December 30th, 2023. The primary aim of this initiative was to enhance the airflow within the cargo…