The initiative was developed after the deaths of 11 commercial fishermen in the winter of 1999, including the sinking of the Cape Fear off the coast of New Bedford, Mass. in January. During the 86-hour patrol, the crew of the Grand Isle sighted 20 fishing vessels off the New England coast. Eighteen of the vessels had either been boarded at sea in the past three months by Coast Guard law enforcement teams or had a current Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety decal, which is given after a vessel has passed a voluntary dockside exam given by a qualified inspector. During the patrol, two fishing vessels were boarded. One vessel had no violations, while the other received four violations.
Violations usually result in fines, and in severe cases, termination of the vessel's voyage.
The Coast Guard has observed the compliance rate of the fishing industry rise dramatically over the past two years, said Ted Harrington, the First District Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Coordinator. Only 450 of the estimated 2,800 commercial fishing vessels boarded in the Northeast last year had some sort of safety discrepancy. The Coast Guard stresses the importance of not only having the equipment, but, just as importantly, ensuring that it works, and the crew is capable of using it.