Aside from the lack of following the Rules of the Road, lack of monitoring proper VHF Marine Band Radio channels you have to deal with this.
I took this picture this morning. A shrimp boat is tied up behind us in Venice, LA.
There is a (I shit you not) a BLUE lens being used for a GREEN light !!!
Thats hilarious…until you are navigating the river with him in the fog! 2 weeks ago coming into Fourchon for crew change, there was a shrimper(skimmer) sinking and yelling at the CG that he didnt know where he was, just come get him! No GPS and no clue, at night on the bayou.
ok…I have to comment on this because I grew up a son of a shrimper and I hold a 100 Ton.
First, Please don’t lump these morons in with the good ones. Now I have seen my share of these clowns who give the ones who know what they are doing a bad name. Now this pic is funny but not the worst Ive seen. Not all shrimpers are morons.
With that being said, I 100% agree as do alot of shrimpers that they should be licensed. They have the sea time and its not rocket science to pass the class. I think anyone who is behind the wheel of ANY vessel should be licensed. This pic is funny. Goes to show you that some of them out there have zero clue whats going on and have no business being on anything larger than a raft.
[QUOTE=comus57;32599]Aside from the lack of following the Rules of the Road, lack of monitoring proper VHF Marine Band Radio channels you have to deal with this.
I took this picture this morning. A shrimp boat is tied up behind us in Venice, LA.
There is a (I shit you not) a BLUE lens being used for a GREEN light !!![/QUOTE]
Having been involved with fisheries enforcement and working with many shrimpers during my career in the Coast Guard, they are like any other part of the maritime field. Many very professional and squared away people with some not. Don’t paint with too wide a brush, it is generally true for every part of the maritime field that there are some less than professional people around.
If they piss on that blue light it will look green…
My biggest pet peeve of mine is that they always leave their deck lights on all the TIME!!!
Please if your not working on deck turn them off so I can tell which way your going. There’s that little green light that your supposed to have on top of your boat, I’ll see it and know that your trawling and I will give you plenty of room.
The reason why they leave the deck lights on at all times is in case of an emergency. (E.G. Hung Up, Lost Rig, Man Overboard, ect…) They’re not being assholes or lazy or even lazy assholes. they’re just being safe.
[QUOTE=CaptChris878;32663]The reason why they leave the deck lights on at all times is in case of an emergency. (E.G. Hung Up, Lost Rig, Man Overboard, ect…) They’re not being assholes or lazy or even lazy assholes. they’re just being safe.[/QUOTE]
I don’t buy that. They don’t need them on ALL the time for that. They should turn them off when not needed and turn them on when needed.
Robert…let me give you an example;
You pop a cable in the middle of dragging. 3 men total on the vessel, 2 of which are sleeping at around 3am. That cable pops, the boat pulls hard to the other side away from the tow and lays over about 12 degrees or better and risks flipping the boat as soon as the full weight of the tow, vessel power, and resistance against the trawl doors. You have about a 10 second window AT BEST to get the situation under control. Who has time to worry about a light. PLUS! if they run on deck and you have cable all over the deck or worse yet, the outrigger snapps. Your running out there BLIND!
ALSO! if you read the rules of the road, it does clearly state that a vessel engaged in fishing may use the deck lighting as identification while trawling at night along with the green over white masthead light.
Just remember, If you see the lights on deck check to see if you can find the running lights. IF you cant, most likely hes moving away from you.
Dont even get me started on all the assholes when I was growing up on offshore tugs that didnt care at all about trawlers and would pass or cross without warning. I remember one in Mississippi that cut us off to the point my father had to go in reverse to avoid the collision.
In m opinion, there is very little that is “clearly stated” in the rules.
PART C—LIGHTS AND SHAPES
RULE 20 Application
(a) Rules in this Part shall be complied with in all weathers.
(b) [B]T[B]he Rules concerning lights shall be complied with from sunset to sunrise, and during such times no other lights shall be exhibited, except such lights as cannot be mistaken for the lights specified in these Rules or do not impair their visibility or distinctive character, or interfere with the keeping of a proper look-out.[/B][/B]
© The lights prescribed by these Rules shall, if carried, also be exhibited from sunrise to sunset in restricted visibility and may be exhibited in all other circumstances when it is deemed necessary.
(d) The Rules concerning shapes shall be complied with by day.
(e) The lights and shapes specified in these Rules shall comply with the provisions of Annex I to these Regulations.
Now having referenced this rule I usually need binoculars to find the running lights on large lit-up cruise ship.
[QUOTE=CaptChris878;32676]Robert…let me give you an example;
You pop a cable in the middle of dragging. 3 men total on the vessel, 2 of which are sleeping at around 3am. That cable pops, the boat pulls hard to the other side away from the tow and lays over about 12 degrees or better and risks flipping the boat as soon as the full weight of the tow, vessel power, and resistance against the trawl doors. You have about a 10 second window AT BEST to get the situation under control. Who has time to worry about a light. PLUS! if they run on deck and you have cable all over the deck or worse yet, the outrigger snapps. Your running out there BLIND!
ALSO! if you read the rules of the road, it does clearly state that a vessel engaged in fishing may use the deck lighting as identification while trawling at night along with the green over white masthead light.
Just remember, If you see the lights on deck check to see if you can find the running lights. IF you cant, most likely hes moving away from you.
Dont even get me started on all the assholes when I was growing up on offshore tugs that didn’t care at all about trawlers and would pass or cross without warning. I remember one in Mississippi that cut us off to the point my father had to go in reverse to avoid the collision.[/QUOTE]
First, it is a violation of the rules of the road, but one I was always willing to overlook. However, your post said ALL THE TIME, not just when they were working. I have seen way too many fishing vessels just sailing along during a transit with their lights on.
My issue was the idea that they think they can do it ALL the time, not just when it is necessary.
All the time I can understand and know the first hand reasons why. Now (correct me if I’m wrong) I believe your talking about the ones who have 5 more more halogen lights on a 20’X24’ area. Now that is too much. Especally if its a white deck.
[QUOTE=CaptChris878;32696]All the time I can understand and know the first hand reasons why. Now (correct me if I’m wrong) I believe your talking about the ones who have 5 more more halogen lights on a 20’X24’ area. Now that is too much. Especally if its a white deck.[/QUOTE]
LOL, Yes those would be my favorite! 
I often think they believe those lights are supposed to be used as headlights.
I never understood the need for those. One MAYBE two I can understand but more than that its nuts PLUS those things get hot working under them. Plus they get in the way
It only took about 150 years to get licenses in the wheelhouse of tugs, they’re still not inspected.
Getting the fishing industry regulated ought to be a snap.
Aside from what I mentioned at the start of this thread, their deck lights offshore really doesn’t bother me. It helps in identification. “Here I am, I don’t pay attention to the rules of the road”. The other thing that bothers me is when they lower their out riggers while still in a channel choking off the navigational width of the channel.
[QUOTE=CaptChris878;32663]The reason why they leave the deck lights on at all times is in case of an emergency. (E.G. Hung Up, Lost Rig, Man Overboard, ect…) They’re not being assholes or lazy or even lazy assholes. they’re just being safe.[/QUOTE]
The fisherman I was talking to in Alaska told me the reason he kept them on was because they last longer that way. And they are expensive.
Also many of them are Mercury vapor lamps and they do not come up quickly as would a Halogen light. So for safety I don’t get upset with them while actually working, but I really do when they are just running out or back home.
Or, how about the time a shrimpboat came out of Freshwater city, pulled alongside, and proceeded to drop their ouriggers – Right between my foremast and house! Talk about fun!
[QUOTE=comus57;32735]The other thing that bothers me is when they lower their out riggers while still in a channel choking off the navigational width of the channel.[/QUOTE]
The out riggers have to be deployed with stay wires taut before encountering any swell to prevent damage to same. Also stability issues for some.
Here’s a question for y’all.
Is a fishing vessel supposed to show red over white, or green over white while traveling between harbor TO or FROM the fishing grounds?
What lights ARE a fishing boat supposed to show when underway?
Regardless, previous answers don’t apply, Are the navigational running lights supposed to be visible to others?
Until the fishing industry can come up with a way to justify the lack of education among their members, then this IS an issue.
How many wrong ‘answers’ are going to be given on this thread? How many false justifications? How many lame excuses?
If the outriggers are a necessity to vessel stability, then you should really question vessel design, and competence of owner/operator putting so much gear so high it negatively effects GM. (Vessel design being totally unregulated and incompetently designed.)