Southeast seiner mishap

Petersburg radio station KFSK reports the seiner Pamela Rae overturned just south of Wrangell, but the five crewmembers were mostly unscathed.

Tragedy near Wrangell

The U.S. Coast Guard is reporting one person dead after a 58-foot fishing vessel collided with a skiff.

U.S. Coast Guard responds to Wrangell landslide

Details and photos in this press release.

The Star of Bengal expedition

Details here.

Trident penalized $297,000 in EPA settlement

Here's the press release.

Wrangell packer to pay $96,332 pollution penalty

The fish processor cited in the press release below is a division of Pacific Seafood Group of Clackamas, Ore.

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

Oct. 22, 2010

State reaches settlement agreement with Sea Level Seafoods LLC

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation today announces it reached an agreement with Sea Level Seafoods LLC to address numerous wastewater permit violations at its Wrangell facility. The company agreed to pay $96,332 to settle violations.

Sea Level Seafoods discharged crab and seafood processing wastewater and waste into marine waters at its Wrangell facility for many years without a federal or state permit authorizing the discharge. The discharges could have been authorized under a general permit that would have included specific discharge limits, and treatment, monitoring and reporting requirements.

DEC considers the violations serious because without the sort of monitoring and reporting required by a permit, it is difficult for the state to determine if a facility is complying with laws that protect water quality.

“Alaska’s regulatory system to protect water quality largely depends on having good permits in place and monitoring compliance with the permits,” said Lynn Kent, director of the Division of Water. “Long-running compliance issues like these are a grave concern to us. Penalties help create a level playing field by ensuring that violators do not obtain an unfair economic advantage over competitors who have obtained and complied with a discharge permit.”

Sea Level Seafoods cooperated with the Alaska Department of Law and voluntarily entered into the settlement agreement.

Man dies after fall overboard near Wrangell

Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission records show the boat named in the press release below belonged to the deceased.

It's not clear what the 32-footer was fishing for, but the records indicate it's rigged for longline and pot gear.

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Canoe Pass near Wrangell
Type: Death investigation
On 11/17/2009 at 1729 hours Alaska State Troopers in Ketchikan received a call from Wrangell Search and Rescue who reported receiving a mayday call from the F/V Willow in Canoe Passage, south of Wrangell. The mayday was from David Sweat, age 60, of Wrangell, reporting that Allan Hayes, 56, also from Wrangell, had fallen overboard and was unresponsive. Sweat reported he was unable to get Hayes back onboard. Wrangell SAR responding by boat and the U.S. Coast Guard responding by helicopter. The P/V Enforcer was on wildlife patrol in the area and responded to assist with the investigation. At 1845 hours, Wrangell SAR reported Hayes was deceased. Next of kin were notified of the death. Alaska State Troopers are continuing with a full investigation.

Seiner goes down at Wrangell

The seiner Siren, partially submerged. SEAPRO photo

The U.S. Coast Guard is reporting the salmon seiner Siren ran aground in Wrangell harbor on Saturday.

The vessel belongs to Michael A. File of Petersburg, according to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

Here's the Coast Guard press release:

July 11, 2009

Coast Guard responds to grounded vessel in Wrangell Harbor

JUNEAU, Alaska — The Coast Guard responded to the 58-foot fishing vessel Siren which grounded with 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board in Wrangell Harbor at 1:10 a.m. Saturday.

A crewmember from the Siren contacted the Coast Guard Sector Juneau Rescue Coordination Center by VHF-FM radio to report the grounding and then safely made it to shore after disembarking from the Siren in a small motor vessel.

Personnel from the Southeast Alaska Petroleum Resource Organization in Wrangell placed boom around the vessel at 6:30 a.m. and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew conducted an overflight of the vessel and reported that there was no sheen at 9:38 a.m.

Personnel will work with the tide levels to attempt to refloat the fishing vessel. No injuries have been reported and the cause of the grounding is not known at this time. The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the grounding.

The Siren is homeported in Petersburg and was en route from Petersburg to Wrangell during the grounding.

Hard aground

The commercial fishing vessel Moonshadow ran aground Monday morning about 30 miles west of Wrangell. Boom will be placed around the 42-footer, homeported in Petersburg, to contain any fuel spilling from the boat's damaged hull. U.S. Coast Guard photo

Proof of purchase

Just to close the loop, here's a final settlement statement Trident Seafoods Corp. filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court confirming it did indeed purchase that processing plant down in Wrangell (Deckboss, April 16).

Trident wraps up Wrangell Seafoods

Evidently the sale of bankrupt processor Wrangell Seafoods Inc. to Trident Seafoods Corp. of Seattle is complete.

I still haven't seen anything official, such as a company press release, but a "receipt from proceeds of sale" was filed yesterday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Anchorage.

The receipt is for $4.3 million.