Maritime News

Published on: October 14, 2025

Dozens Rescued from Flooded Alaska Villages

The U.S. Coast Guard is leading extensive search and rescue operations in two rural Alaska communities that have been devastated by severe flooding, with dozens already rescued and efforts continuing to locate three missing residents.

U.S. Coast Guard crews from Air Station Kodiak have successfully rescued 34 people from the flooded villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok in western Alaska. 18 residents were airlifted from Kwigillingok, while 16 were rescued from Kipnuk. All were in stable condition, according to U.S. Coast Guard officials.

Search efforts remain ongoing for three Kwigillingok residents who are still unaccounted for. A U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew covered 76 square miles in search operations on Sunday October 12^th, 2025, and resumed the search on Monday morning.

Published on: October 14, 2025

Alaska Crab Fisheries Show Signs of Recovery

by Nigel Stacey

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) delivered good news to the commercial fishing industry on Monday, October 6, 2025, when it was announced that it is nearly doubling the allowable harvest for the upcoming Bering Sea snow crab commercial fishing season. The increase marks a turning point for an industry that has endured devastating losses over the past several years.

ADF&G has set the catch limit at 9.3 million pounds for the season, representing a substantial increase over last year’s totals. However, the figure remains a reminder of how far the fishery has fallen from its peak. In 1991, crabbers harvested more than 320 million pounds of snow crab from these waters. Even as recently as 2020, the catch limit was set at 45 million pounds before the stock’s catastrophic collapse.

The downturn began in 2021 when more than 10 billion snow crabs vanished from the Bering Sea. The disappearance forced regulators to close the fishery for two consecutive seasons, leaving boats tied to docks and processing plants closed. Researchers attributed the collapse to warming ocean waters driven by climate change, which disrupted the delicate ecosystem these cold-water crustaceans depend on.

Published on: September 23, 2025

Tugboat Dominion Sinks in Bremerton Marina Prompting Major Environmental Response

by Nigel Stacey

The 130-foot TB DOMINION sank in Bremerton Marina on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, prompting an environmental response that has continued all week as crews work to contain diesel fuel contamination and assess ecological effects.

The Washington State Department of Ecology was notified of the sinking on Wednesday afternoon, and the U.S. Coast Guard immediately responded to the incident. On Thursday morning, response teams deployed an absorbent boom around the sunken tugboat to contain fuel leaking from the vessel.

The U.S. Coast Guard set a safety zone from Manette Bridge extending 200 yards off the Bremerton Marina breakwater to the Bremerton Ferry Terminal. Non-commercial vessels were advised to avoid the area as U.S. Coast Guard vessels were actively maintaining this restricted area.

Published on: September 16, 2025

Alaska Opens Pacific Tuna Harvesting as Warm Waters Bring Opportunity

by Nigel Stacey

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has launched a new commercial fishing opportunity in Southeast Alaska waters, issuing commissioner’s permits for Pacific tuna harvesting in response to unusual conditions that have drawn these warm-water species into the eastern Gulf of Alaska.

Commercial harvesters can now obtain the specialized permits, which remain valid through December 31^st, 2025, marking the first formal recognition of tuna as a targeted commercial species in Alaska waters. The permits become available immediately upon issuance, creating an unprecedented fishing opportunity in a region traditionally known for salmon and groundfish.

Rhea Ehresmann, who leads the Region 1 groundfish project for the ADF&G, explained that the permit system emerged from direct industry requests. “The commercial fleet approached us about targeting Pacific tuna, given the significant tuna presence we’re seeing in waters outside of Sitka,” she noted.

Published on: September 2, 2025

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Two Missing Individuals After Vessel Capsizes Near Gold Beach

by Nigel Stacey

The U.S. Coast Guard has ended its search for two individuals who were reported missing after a motorized catamaran capsized on Sunday night near Gold Beach, Oregon.

A third individual present on the catamaran was rescued and taken to Gold Beach for medical assessment by local emergency services. Reports indicated that all three people were wearing life jackets at the time of the incident.

At approximately 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, personnel at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River were notified by Curry County 911 of an overturned 26-foot catamaran located approximately four miles off the coast of Gold Beach.

Published on: August 19, 2025

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Missing Fisherman

by Nigel Stacey

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Wednesday afternoon for prominent West Coast fisherman Joel William Kawahara, recipient of the 2009 National Fishermen’s Highliner of the Year Award. Mr. Kawahara disappeared while fishing alone off the coasts of Oregon and Washington. The extensive search covered more than 2,100 square miles of ocean before being called off.

Mr. Kawahara, known throughout the West Coast for his work on the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, the North Olympic Salmon Coalition, and Save Our Wild Salmon, was last heard from at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, August 8, 2025, while aboard the F/V KAROLEE. He had departed alone the week prior for what appeared to be a routine fishing trip.

For several days following the last contact, the F/V KAROLEE continued traveling a constant southerly course at approximately 4 mph. Fellow fishermen spotted the vessel near the Columbia River bar and attempted to hail it by radio, receiving no response.

Published on: August 12, 2025

Coast Guard Announces Suspension of Search for Missing Crew Member Near Newport, Oregon

by Nigel Stacey

The U.S. Coast Guard has officially suspended its search efforts for the missing fisherman off the coast of Newport, Oregon.

At 4 p.m. Sunday, August 10^th, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard was notified that the 40-foot F/V DAS BUG had capsized in Yaquina Bay Jetty with four people aboard. A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew rescued three individuals and transferred them to emergency medical services. The individuals were then taken to Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital and treated for hypothermia.

Crews from U.S. Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay and Air Station North Bend searched for the missing person using a 47-foot lifeboat and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter in the evening. Additionally, an MH-65 Dolphin crew from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station North Bend conducted a search at first light. No evidence of the missing person was found before the search was suspended.

Published on: July 29, 2025

Joint Medevac 180 Miles West of Astoria, Oregon

by Nigel Stacey

On Thursday, July 24, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a Canadian fisherman from his vessel approximately 180 miles off the coast of Astoria, Oregon.

The rescue operation began shortly after 1 a.m. when the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Victoria, British Columbia, received an emergency call about a crew member experiencing a medical emergency about 300 miles west of Astoria. Victoria officials then notified the U.S. Coast Guard in Seattle.

After consulting with a flight surgeon who recommended a medevac, the U.S. Coast Guard maintained contact with the fishing vessel as it moved closer to shore. A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Astoria MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was dispatched. A Royal Canadian Air Force CC-295 Kingfisher from 19 Wing Comox provided crucial overhead support, including weather reporting and communications.

Published on: July 29, 2025

New State Funding Boosts Alaska Seafood Workforce Development

by Nigel Stacey

Alaska’s seafood industry is getting a significant boost in workforce development thanks to new state funding through the Technical and Vocational Education Program (TVEP). This initiative supports five key programs for both seafood harvesters and processors.

For processors, the Alaska Seafood School will offer three programs focusing on crucial areas: food and processing regulations, automated equipment and refrigeration, and plant management.

Fishermen across Alaska will benefit from two TVEP-funded projects launching this fall: the Skipper Apprentice program in Bristol Bay, providing essential training and mentorship for new crew, and the innovative “Scaled Seafood” project, offering vital fisheries business training.

Published on: July 22, 2025

Coast Guard Responds to F/V Navigator Fire, Sinking Off Santa Cruz

by Nigel Stacey

The U.S. Coast Guard, working with multiple partner agencies, responded to a boat fire and subsequent sinking approximately one mile off the shore of Santa Cruz early Wednesday morning on July 17^th, 2025. The F/V NAVIGATOR, a 45-foot vessel that had been fishing for squid, was at anchor when fire broke out onboard. The two fishermen aboard the vessel were rescued.

At 7:40 a.m., U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders received an urgent report that a 45-foot vessel was ablaze with two people on board. Watchstanders issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast to alert mariners in the area. A boat crew from U.S. Coast Guard Station Monterey was deployed, and coordination efforts began with local partner agencies.

Agencies involved in the response included: