SEATTLE — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Midgett, a 378-foot High Endurance Cutter homeported in Seattle, completed a two-week living marine resources patrol.
The patrol was designed to establish a presence throughout the Washington and Oregon fishing fleets, educate commercial fishermen and enforce fishing regulations.
“The efforts of Coast Guard Cutter Midgett exemplified the 13th district vision of protecting the great Pacific Northwest,” said Brian Corrigan, the living marine resources coordinator at Coast Guard 13th District in Seattle. “The living marine resources enforcement ensured a level playing field for participants in our extremely valuable and complexly managed commercial fisheries, particularly when performed in conjunction with our valued enforcement partners and is among the highest priorities of the 13th district."
The crew conducted eight at-sea boardings during the patrol, which resulted in the documentation of two suspected living marine resource violations and eight commercial fishing vessel safety violations.
On October 15, the CFVS program implemented mandatory dockside examinations for all commercial fishing vessels operating beyond the 3-mile territorial sea baseline. Boarding team members ensured compliance with the new regulations and explained the procedures for completing a mandatory dockside examination.
The crew hosted a rider from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, an instructor from the Coast Guard’s Pacific Region Fisheries Training Center, and shared information with the NOAA West Coast Region Office of Law Enforcement and the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division throughout their patrol.
Other Coast Guard units who assisted Midgett's crew in their mission include Air Station Port Angeles, Air Station Astoria, Oregon, Air Station North Bend, Oregon, and Air Station Sacramento, California.
