The US Coats Guard along with Alaskan commercial fishermen has started new mission of spot-checks at all ports ensuring safety for fishing vessels. It is said that members of the U.S.Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit in Valdez have been working with communities throughout Prince William Sound focusing on education, public awareness, and dockside voluntary commercial fishing vessel examinations in order to reduce commercial fishing industry fatalities and vessel losses.
The Coast Guard has launched a new initiative to conduct mandatory dockside safety compliance spot-checks in both the port of Valdez and in Cordova. This would further reduce commercial fishing vessel casualties within Prince William Sound, says the Coast Guard captain of the port for Prince William Sound, Commander Darryl Verfaillie. He also added that operators should keep in mind that this is not a “surge operation,” but standard operating procedure from now on.
He said that he is extremely sensitive to the impacts delays may have on seasonal openers, so he would highly encourage vessel owners and operators to schedule a voluntary dockside examination to meet their scheduling needs rather than being held at the dock for a major safety issue.
