PORT ANGELES — News release from the Coast Guard:
The crew of the Coast Guard cutter Sea Lion, while on patrol in the Strait of Juan De Fuca east of Port Angeles, terminated the voyage of a fishing vessel for safety gear concerns found during an at-sea boarding Wednesday.
The three member crew, harvesting geoducks, aboard the 28-foot vessel Enforcer was safely escorted to Port Angeles, where the vessel was ordered to remain until the crew fixed the especially hazardous safety condition of lacking any personal floatation devices.
“I can’t stress enough the importance of carrying enough life jackets with you for everyone aboard the vessel and this is a mandatory requirement on all commercial vessels.” said Eric Cookson, a command duty officer at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound.
“We offer free vessel safety examinations where we will come to your boat to check that it meets all applicable rules and regulations. A Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Decal is awarded for those meeting the safety standards.”
Passing a Coast Guard fishing vessel examination will become mandatory Oct. 15. Any fishing vessel crew operating beyond three miles off shore will need to have completed their safety examination and received a commercial fishing vessel safety decal, which is displayed on the vessel.
Due to the upcoming mandatory examination date, fishing vessel crews are encouraged to start scheduling their examinations now.
For inspections along central Washington Coast and the Puget Sound, contact Robert Cuddeback at 206-217-6187. For inspections along the Oregon coast from Brookings to Westport, Washington, contact Curt Farrell at 503-240-9373.
The Sea Lion is a 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Bellingham.
