February 04, 2010
Thursday AM

(SitNews) - A Coast Guard boarding team from the cutter Acushnet conducted a boarding of the 226-foot Seattle-based catcher processor Alaska Victory participating in the Atka mackerel fishery on Tuesday, Feb. 2nd south of Amchitka Island in the Aleutians.

A 10-man Coast Guard boarding team from the cutter Acushnet was aboard the Alaska Victory for over two hours verifying the vessel's documentation, checking that the safety gear was compliant with federal standards and examining the fish and logbooks on board to ensure accurate catch reports were being filed.

The boarding team found the Alaska Victory crew was over-reporting fish production weights and the boarding team sent a field report to the National Marine Fisheries Service, who regulates the catch, so the vessel can be inspected pier-side to verify the Alaska Victory crew are following federal reporting procedures.

The Coast Guard conducts fisheries boardings to ensure compliance by fishing vessel crews with the regulations for Safety of Life at Sea, protecting the resources and leveling the playing field by ensuring all fishing vessel crews adhere to the same set of regulations.

The Alaska Victory is part of the Fishing Company of Alaska fleet. The Coast Guard Cutter Acushnet is home-ported in Ketchikan.

President Obama's budget proposal announced Monday for Fiscal Year 2011, calls for eliminating two U.S. Coast Guard units in Alaska - the Medium Endurance Cutter Acushnet homeported in Ketchikan, which employs 80 crew members, and the Marine Safety and Security Team stationed in Anchorage, which employs 90 crew members.

Source of News & Photograph:

United States Coast Guard
www.uscg.mil

 

SitNews ©2010
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska