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Office of Public Affairs | |
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| Press Release |
Date: November 29, 2007 |
OPERATION SAFE CRAB 2007 EMBARKS UPON WESTPORT, WASH. | |
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SEATTLE - Coast Guard fishing vessel examiners conducted safety compliance checks aboard Dungeness crab fishing vessels in Westport, Wash., Monday. Video can be viewed or downloaded here.
SEATTLE - A Dungeness crab fishing vessel crew loads crab pots Monday at a marina in Westport, Wash. This is in preparation for the opening of the 2007 Dungeness crab season. Westport has been one of the primary marinas in which Dungeness crab fishing vessels have operated from in past years. (Official Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Kelly Parker)
SEATTLE - Lt. David Gates, Fishing Vessel Examiner for Coast Guard Sector Portland, looks over an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) aboard a Dungeness crab fishing vessel during Operation Safe Crab 2007 in Westport, Wash., Monday. An EPIRB is checked during safety examinations to make sure it functions properly, has a working battery and an updated National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sticker, which has updated information about a vessel. (Official Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Kelly Parker) SEATTLE - Operation Safe Crab 2007 kicked off Monday in Westport, Wash., as Coast Guard vessel safety examiners conducted safety compliance checks and voluntary dockside examinations aboard Dungeness crab fishing vessels. The Coast Guard examiners spot-checked primary lifesaving equipment and pot loading practices on vessels such as, watertight integrity, survival suits, Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB), and liferafts. Westport has been one of the primary marinas in which Dungeness crab fishing vessels have operated from in past years, which makes it a key area for the Coast Guard to implement these preventive measures in its continuing initiative to reduce the number of fisherman's lives lost at sea. "We came out to Westport today because of safety concerns we have for crab fishermen," said Petty Officer Matt Mattes, Coast Guard Fishing Vessel Examiner from Sector Portland, Ore. "All we're looking for is immersion suits, survival craft and EPIRB. If they have those three things, there's probably a good chance they'll survive most disasters they could have [at sea]." Any questions regarding "Operation Safe Crab," or availability of voluntary dockside exams should be directed to Dan Hardin, Thirteenth Coast Guard District Fishing Vessel Safety Coordinator, at (206) 220-7226, or Daniel.E.Hardin@uscg.mil. For more information on Operation Safe Crab visit WWW.USCG.MIL/D13/SAFECRAB. | |
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