PORT ANGELES — The Coast Guard terminated the voyage of another fishing boat Thursday because the crew lacked enough life jackets.
It was the second fishing vessel in two days that the Coast Guard cutter Sea Lion escorted into Port Angeles Harbor to fix safety problems.
The boat Thursday was the 34-foot Equalizer. On Wednesday, it was the 28-foot Enforcer. Both crews were harvesting geoducks.
The Equalizer crew was ordered to remain in the harbor until it had enough life jackets and obtained flares that were not expired.
The Enforcer crew was told to remain in the harbor until they had enough life jackets.
“Carrying required survival equipment aboard your commercial vessel is not optional and may be life-threatening to your crew,” said Lt. Cmdr. Libby Rasmussen, a command duty officer at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound in Seattle.
“Being turned around at sea costs fishing crews time and can be avoided by being compliant with current regulations.”
He said the Coast Guard will check vessels for free before they get underway.
A Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Decal is awarded for those meeting the safety standards.
Passing a Coast Guard fishing vessel safety examination will become mandatory Oct. 15.
Any fishing vessel crew operating beyond 3 miles offshore will need to complete their safety examination and receive a commercial fishing vessel safety decal, which should be displayed on the vessel.
For inspections along the central Washington coast and Puget Sound, contact Robert Cuddeback at 206-217-6187.
The Sea Lion, an 87-foot patrol boat, is based in Bellingham.