Submitted by the Office of Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance, Fishing Vessel Safety Division

Commercial fishing vessel casualties remain a significant risk factor within the industry.  It is the Coast Guard’s goal to reduce this risk through targeted outreach to the commercial fishing industry.

Understanding emergency response measures and how to use survival equipment are vital skills when mariners are involved in a marine casualty. The Coast Guard recently hosted a training event with more than 50 members of the commercial fishing industry to raise awareness of these important skills. More importantly, the event included hands-on training with survival systems, safety drills, firefighting, and damage control procedures.

In addition to attending Coast Guard hosted events, operators and crew are encouraged to seek out opportunities to further their knowledge through courses, training, and workshops.  Training institutions such as the North Pacific Fishing Vessel Owners Association (NPFVOA) and the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA), offer Coast Guard accepted survival, emergency drill, firefighting, and damage control courses to fishermen. 

The Coast Guard will be conducting targeted industry outreach ahead of key fishing seasons as noted below:

• Coast Guard District 5 “Safe Catch”; Cape May, NJ (Nov 2021):
• Coast Guard District 11 “Safe Crab” San Francisco, CA (Nov 2021):

To locate a Fishing Vessel Safety Examiner in your area to discuss Fishing Vessel Examinations or local training opportunities, access “find an examiner” at: Fishing Vessel Safety CG-CVC-3 (uscg.mil)

Questions concerning this posting may be directed to the Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance, Fishing Vessel Safety Division (CG-CVC-3) at CGFishSafe@uscg.mil

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.