[QUOTE=tugsailor;126712]Masters of fishing vessels over 200 tons have required licenses for at least the last 50 years. Nothing new there. That’s why there are thousands of fishing vessels under 200 tons and only a handful (mostly in Alaska) over 200 tons.
Regardless of size a license is going to be required by 2015? You think, a grade school kid rowing a skiff to haul his pots by hand (like his father and grandfather did) will be required to have an operator’s license? That’s never going top happen. Fishermen don’t have the kind of political power that farmer’s do, but tens of thousands of US fishermen have enough political power to prevent this sort of insanity.
It seems like about the only things left that people don’t need some type of license for, is working for the government, working for a non-profit special interest group, or collecting welfare.[/QUOTE]
Speaking towards Alaskan commercial fishing fleets, none are open access anymore. All types of fisheries require entry fishery permits in state and federal waters. Some fish are owned in quota shares. A quick look at Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission shows the average annual income per vessel for each fishery in any selected area of the state. These are heavily regulated fisheries by the fish and game managers. However these fishermen are exempt and have no CG Licenses to lose. Risks are taken, few know the rules of the road and some fishing creates a free for all with total mayhem including rammings in some openers. Annually lives are lost, injuries and rescues plague the fleet. CG Licenses are overdue for most commercial fishing operations just for safety alone. The new sport guided fishing industry REQUIRES a 6 pack or 100 ton license for the much smaller charter boat operators. Mainly because they are for hire and need the license to take passengers fishing. The same goes for the guided tour boats. Because fishing crews are hired and most other vessel operators comply with the Coast Guard, it is past due that the rules apply to everyone, no more exclusions. Safety first.
[QUOTE=tugsailor;126712]Masters of fishing vessels over 200 tons have required licenses for at least the last 50 years. Nothing new there. That’s why there are thousands of fishing vessels under 200 tons and only a handful (mostly in Alaska) over 200 tons.
Regardless of size a license is going to be required by 2015? You think, a grade school kid rowing a skiff to haul his pots by hand (like his father and grandfather did) will be required to have an operator’s license? That’s never going top happen. Fishermen don’t have the kind of political power that farmer’s do, but tens of thousands of US fishermen have enough political power to prevent this sort of insanity.
It seems like about the only things left that people don’t need some type of license for, is working for the government, working for a non-profit special interest group, or collecting welfare.[/QUOTE] No required license, except for vessels greater that 200 GRT. But, ALL operators of COMMERCIAL fishing vessels will have to prove training and competence after 15 Oct 2015. The law has already been passed with the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010, and postponed with the Coast Guard Marine and Transportation Act of 2012. Also, The Coast Guard issued guidance requiring certain vessel to have assistant engineers aboard vessels in CG-543 Policy Ltr 11-11. The date for compliance was to be Jan 1, 2014. The Coast Guard has issued further guidance by message that extends this compliance date to Jan 1, 2015. So ALL operators of Commercial Fishing Vessels that operate beyond 3 NM will be required to prove competence.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013
Coast Guard loses one of its own
The U.S. Coast Guard says Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis Obendorf has died from injuries suffered during a November response to a disabled fishing vessel in the Bering Sea.
I know of a few smaller boats that it has bumped pay up on to keep people from going to the GOM. All of the bigger boats I have worked on have all had lic watches, on the last boat I was on we started a pay incentive program for junior engineers to get lic’d. Not sure what the pirate comments and other hooey above are about, all of the boats I have worked on had very well trained crew, most with lic far exceeding the requirements. One of the benefits of the limited structure that it will be sad to go away is the ability of new hires to work on anything. We have had cadets out of academys who were shocked at how much stuff they could be involved in right out of the gate. The single biggest issue or hurdle for the Alaskan fleet is the age of the vessels and cost of replacement or new builds. I this doesn’t get figured out there will be more severe issues.
