Coast Guard Reopens Comment Period

Posted by Alan Sorum Aug 18, 2008

Recreational boaters may be interested in the discussion of commercial fishing vessel safety because improvements in fishing vessel safety technology have migrated from commercial realm to recreational vessels. Efforts to improve lifejackets, EPIRBs, and stability have all benefited recreational boating.

The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship Directorate announced that the comment period for the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) issued on March 31, 2008 was reopened for additional comments from the public on August 12, 2008. Part of the reason for this extension is to accommodate public meetings scheduled in November and will allow comments to be made in December following these sessions. The ANPRM can be downloaded as a PDF file.

One of the meetings scheduled by the Coast Guard is the Pacific Marine Expo held every year in Seattle, Washington. Coast Guard representatives will meet with interested commercial fishermen on November 21 to 22 from 9 am to noon each and receive public comments on the proposed rulemaking. Additional information on the Pacific Marine Expo meeting is available online.

The Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Advisory Committee and the Coast Guard are supporting expansion of crew safety training and drill requirements that have been in place since 1991. Other issues of concern include vessel stability, issues with watertight integrity, boat maintenance, and factors related to crew inadvertently entering the water. Safety improvements have been made in the commercial fishing industry, but there remains room for substantial improvement.