Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Exhibit

DATE: September 12, 2007 2:35:46 PM PDT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

District 11 Public Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Press Release

Date: September 12, 2007

Contact: CWO Jonathon Placido

(707) 839-6589

Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Exhibit

Eureka, California - September 29^th - As a part of the Humboldt Bay Maritime Expo at Woodley Island Marina, Coast Guard personnel will be on hand to display a Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Exhibit.

Coast Guard personnel will be encouraging voluntary dockside exams and providing information to commercial fishing vessel owners and operators concerning federal safety equipment requirements. Free vessel safety assessments, EPIRB testing, training on stability, safety drills and damage control, as well as hand outs of required placards and literature will be available. In addition, the Coast Guard will have a damage control trainer available for display and training. Essentially, this trainer simulates a flooding vessel and mariners will be able to practice plugging, patching and dewatering which could be vital for the safety of lives at sea.

The objectives of the Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Exhibit are:

Reduce loss of life and injuries aboard commercial fishing vessels. The most dangerous job in America continues to remain commercial crab fishing. Every year California experiences loss of life within the commercial fishing community and West Coast crabbing vessels continue to have the highest fatality rate out of any other West Coast fishery.
Assist fishing vessel owners and operators in meeting federal safety equipment requirements.
Improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities of Commercial Fisherman in regards to safety.
Encourage and schedule Commercial Fishing Vessel Exams. Implemented in 1991, the Coast Guard's Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Exam Program is designed to help commercial fishermen identify and eliminate potential safety hazards. The successful completion of a dockside exam will also make any future Coast Guard boarding at sea greatly abbreviated.

For more information Contact:

U. S. Coast Guard Group Humboldt Bay
CWO Jonathan Placido

1001 Lycoming Way

McKinleyville, CA 95519

Email: Jonathan.A.Placido@uscg.mil

Phone: 707-839-6589

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