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The Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska constitute the last rich fishery in the United States. This ■ttultibillion-dollar industry involves hundreds of fishing vessels pursuing fortunes by harvesting seemingly endless tons of fish. Indeed, life and hmb are risked daily in what has been named the most dangerous industry in the world: the commercial fishing industry in Alaskan waters. The Coast Guard is tasked with the responsibility of protecting the com
mercial fishermen from disaster at Sea and enforcing fisheries conservation laws that protect this natural resource for future generations.
The thousands of miles of ocean °ff Alaska make law enforcement there the most challenging and complex area of responsibility in the Coast Guard, where a limited force luces hundreds of laws and regula- hons to enforce, including search uud rescue, environmental protec- t'on, and aids to navigation. The growing commercial fishing fleet of eatcher boats, floating catcher/pro-
Pr cessors, and mothership/processors provides a constant challenge for the Coast Guard—on the sea and in the air. Enforcing the Magnuson Fisheries Conservation Management Act and Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Act requires constant patrol of the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska by Coast Guard cutters, situated strategically in areas of concentrated fishing activity. Coast Guard C-130s make daily law-enforcement flights to locate the fleet, identify vessels, perform intelligence-gathering missions, ensure compliance with no-trawl and no-transit zones around rookeries, and ensure that no vessels are fishing during closed periods.
The Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Act requires all fishing vessels to comply with numerous safety requirements. To ensure compliance with the act, Coast Guard boarding teams use a 17-page checklist and question the ship master and crew to determine their readiness in the event of a casualty at sea. As every boarding officer knows, however, we are not just checking items off a list; our job performance directly affects the ability of the vessel and crew to react in an emergency. Many fishermen actually welcome the boarding teams—even if violations are detected—because we are enforcing laws that could save their lives.
Most fines for safety act violations range from $250 to $2,500 per boarding, depending on the time and place of the boarding, the extent of the violations, and the action taken on behalf of the owner to correct discrepancies. However, there have been settlements of above-average figures. In June 1991, for instance, USCGC Storis (WMEC-38) seized three U.S. fishing vessels in the precedent-setting “Bristol Bay Triple Play.” The three vessels were seized simultaneously for fishing inside Round Island Stellar Lion Rookery, a designated area closed to transiting and trawling for protection of the habitat and feeding grounds of the sea lions in Bristol Bay, Alaska. The total settlement with regard to these three vessels amounted to more than $600,000.
On another occasion, in July 1992, the Coast Guard detected and boarded a 350-foot Russian catcher/processor that was fishing illegally inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, depleting the U.S. fisheries resource in the Bering Sea. This multimillion-dollar Norwegian- designed vessel was seized and escorted to Kodiak and detained for several weeks pending the final outcome of the case, which was settled for $200,000. The Coast Guard’s main objective, of course, is not to generate revenue through fines but rather to ensure that all fishing vessels are safe working environments and all crews are trained to deal with at-sea casualties. This mission is met through quality boardings, careful documentation, and education efforts—as well as followup at- 77
sea boardings to ensure compliance.
Education and enforcement of the Magnuson Fisheries Conservation Management Act are among the highest priorities of the Coast Guard in Alaska. As more fishing vessels enter the fleet, competition for fish and fishing grounds increases annually. The large profits in the fishing industry prompt illegal fishing in closed areas, intrusion of foreign fishing vessels into the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, and illegal retention of prohibited species. Through joint Coast Guard sea and air efforts and multiagency cooperation—including the Coast Guard, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, National Marine Fisheries Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the Alaska State Troopers—elimination of most illegal fishing activity is attainable.
If illegal fishing continues in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, the reported amounts of fish harvested will not reflect actual catch amounts, which will lead to severe overfishing and depletion of the fishing grounds. Accurate reporting of all fishing activity and catch totals, however, allows the National Marine Fisheries Service to manage and preserve the fisheries resources of Alaska.
The concerns of the smaller, locally owned-and-operated fishing vessels—normally 40 to 90 feet and without processing capabilities— center around the increasing numbers of the larger catcher/processors now used in the Alaskan fisheries. The success of the larger vessels results in decreasing fishing harvests and profits for the local boats. Careful management and quota limitations will ensure that Alaskan waters support a stable fishing industry for all vessels in the region.
To enforce federal laws and regulations that ensure the survival of the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska as two of the world’s last great natural resources, the Coast Guard operates in an extremely demanding environment. We face danger to save the lives of fishermen in trouble and perform hundreds of boardings throughout the region.
We are often asked why
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In April 1993, the U.S. Coast Guard boarded a U.S. fishing vessel inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone off Kodiak Island. The master claimed to have been fishing outside the U.S. zone, stating that he was transiting to port to unload his product. A thorough investigation of the vessel—together
with intelligence gathered by a C-130 law-enforcement flight from USCG Air Station Kodiak—revealed that the vessel had been fishing well inside the U.S. zone several days earlier. Faced with these findings, the master admitted to such
activity and stated that although he knew he was fishing illegally, he was attempting to overcome severe financial difficulties caused by a poor crab season. The vessel was seized and escorted to Kodiak for prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s office. When boarded by the Coast Guard, the vessel contained approximately 50,000 pounds of sablefish, which were unloaded and sold to a shoreside processor in Kodiak. The proceeds of the sale— $103,000—were made payable to the Department of Commerce. Demonstrating the huge profit margin that can be achieved in the U.S. fishing industry, each person on the vessel—after expenses—would have illegally taken home between $16,000 and $19,000 for a seven-day period.
On a 1994 boarding of an 80-foot stern trawler that was targeting rex sole off Kodiak Island, the Coast Guard videotaped—with the master’s permission—the daily business activity of the ship. Along with other species of fish hauled up in the net were halibut and salmon, both prohibited species that fishermen are required to “release to the sea, immediately and with a minimum of injury.” The crew proceeded to throw four halibut back to the sea; the remaining halibut, however, were not returned until they were processed, sorted, and discarded through the overboard discharge. The total elapsed time between the initial haul back and the final sorting and discarding of the prohibited species averaged three to four hours, depending on the amount of product caught during the haul.
When confronted with the federal violations, the master claimed that this was the only way the fish could be discarded, and since the crew had thrown back the bigger halibut seen on deck, he felt they were complying with the “spirit” of the law.
Approximately 20% of the total catch weight was targeted species, and the remaining 80%—after being sorted and processed, leaving most of the catch dead for several hours—was returned to the sea. On a 30-metric-ton haul back, approximately 25 metric tons of dead fish were returned to the sea. The Coast Guard issued an Enforcement Action Report for failure to return prohibited species to the sea with minimum of injury.
we put ourselves at risk and perform those endless boardings to enforce the law upon people who make six-figure salaries. The answer is simple: The Coast Guard in Alaska is dedicated, professional, and proud. Protection of the fisheries resources in Alaska is—and
must remain—an area of concentrated law-enforcement coverage.
Petty Officer Brown was assigned as a Boarding Officer on the USCGC Storis (WMEC-38) in Kodiak, Alaska. He is currently attending Officer Candidate School in Yorktown, Virginia.
Proceedings/June 1995