What Caused These Two Vessels to Crash in the Gulf Coast?

In 2014, an unusual circumstance occurred that caused a commercial fishing boat and an offshore supply vessel (OSV) to collide. That evening, the 130-foot OSV slammed into a 73-foot shrimping boat and breached the hull, causing the shrimp boat to sink. Thankfully, all of the shrimp boat crew were recovered from the water with minimal…

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How Did Alaska Reduce the Number of Commercial Fishermen Deaths to Zero?

This month, the U.S. Coast Guard tallied up the numbers and it turns out Alaska made history. Last year is the first year that not a single commercial fisherman in the state died working at sea. While six commercial fishing boats sunk during this time period, every man on board was rescued. Between 1990 and…

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What is Fish Handler’s Disease?

It seems fishermen are not only exposed to the elements, they can be exposed to certain illnesses, such as vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium strain that causes fish handler’s disease. This is what one fisherman became exposed to last year and it nearly cost him his life. It took two hospitals, one infectious disease specialist, 10…

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North Carolina Fisherman Dies After Wire Snaps

A 24-year-old fisherman, Donald Alversa was killed this past weekend when a vessel wire snapped and struck him on board a 90-foot vessel F/V JASON & DANIELLE.  The Coast Guard was notified immediately and it took an hour for an MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter to reach the vessel which was at the Outer Banks. After…

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Boston Maritime Trial Lawyers Review Recent Fishing Accidents

Boston Maritime Trial Lawyers Review Recent Fishing Accidents The Star-News reported that the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission’s Division of Law Enforcement investigators are calling the January 5, 2013, death of 34-year-old Wilmington resident Jeremy Myers a commercial fishing accident. Myers was net boat fishing off the coast of Oak Island when he became entangled…

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Fishing Vessel Catches Fire

On July 16, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued four fishermen following a fire on the 79-foot F/V MISS INGRID LOUIS. The incident occurred about three miles east of Nassau Sound near Jacksonville, Fla. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. According to Captain Willie Allen, the four men had gone to bed around…

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Commercial Fishing Vessel Sent Back to Port for Safety Violations

Commercial Fishing Vessel Sent Back to Port for Safety Violations Last Tuesday, a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement team escorted the F/V BRYNN TAMARA to port in Metlakatla, Alaska, after discovering several safety violations during a random safety check. According to a Coast Guard press release, the lone fisherman aboard the 24-foot vessel “did not…

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Coast Guard Suspends Search for Alaskan Fisherman

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Alaskan Fisherman The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search last week for a fisherman who fell overboard from the 39-foot F/V ELEANOR S on the morning of July 4. The victim, identified as 63-year-old Richard Boyce of Haines, was attempting to remove fishing gear stuck in the vessel’s propeller when…

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Fisherman Injures Hand While Hauling Gear

On May 2, the U.S. Coast Guard medically evacuated a 47-year-old fisherman who severely injured his hand while hauling gear on the F/V SANDY ROSE about 12 miles south of Jonesport, Maine. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England received a 9-1-1 relay around 9:25 a.m. from the 41-foot fishing vessel and immediately launched…

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New Bedford Fisherman Injured By Parted Wire

On May 9 at 7:52 a.m., watchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England received word that a crewmember aboard the F/V EXPLORER had sustained a head injury from a parted wire. The Coast Guard immediately launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat to assist the injured fisherman, and he was medically evacuated two miles west…

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Fisherman Suffers Major Electrical Shock

On June 8, the Coast Guard airlifted a 43-year-old fisherman from the F/V CAPE HORN in the Bering Sea to Dillingham, Alaska, after he suffered heart complications from a major electrical shock. According to media reports, the unidentified man was working on the 145-foot vessel’s electrical switchboard when he received a 480-volt jolt. The ship…

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Fishing Boat Sinks Off New Jersey Shore After Six Men Rescued

On May 31, six men set out on a deep-sea fishing excursion aboard the F/V SOUTHERN COMFORT. Moments in, the vessel ran aground and began taking on water. According to The Express-Times, Captain Albert G. Stork was preparing to take the 38-foot vessel beyond Barnegat Light Inlet’s north jetty of rocks when it struck a…

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Two Fishermen Learn Why Boating and Fatigue Don’t Mix

For two men, an April salmon-fishing trip off the coast of California turned into a nightmare when their vessel ran aground. Luckily, both men survived the fishing accident, and their story now serves as a reminder about the dangers of boating while fatigued. A skipper and his lone crewman set out in a 58-year-old, wooden…

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