~Mo~
12-28-2009, 05:28 PM
Regulated Navigation Areas established along Oregon, Washington coasts
Dec 15th, 2009 by cgnews.
SEATTLE — A Coast Guard rule to establish Regulated Navigation Areas (RNA) along the Oregon and Washington coasts will become effective Thursday.
The new rule will have minimal effect on current procedures for restricting operation of recreational vessels and uninspected passenger vessels in the RNA due to unsafe conditions. However, the rule does address new lifejacket requirements for vessels crossing a bar when unsafe conditions exist. These new requirements are based on the type of vessel (recreational boat, uninspected passenger vessels, commercial fishing vessel, and inspected small passenger vessels) and require vessels of a certain length or smaller that are crossing the bar to have personnel on deck don lifejackets when there is a restriction to recreational or uninspected passenger vessels of a determined length. Vessels that have additional safety requirements imposed due to their length are also required to check in with the Coast Guard between sunset and sunrise.
The rule streamlines the process of closing bars within the RNA when severe environmental conditions exist. The number of bar closures that occur will not be affected by these regulations. The Coast Guard feels this rule will help mitigate risks associated with the bars and enhance the safety of the persons and vessels operating on and in the vicinity of them.
Mariners desiring to cross a bar restricted to them or that is closed are advised to contact the Coast Guard Captain of the Port or the local Captain of the Port designee. Vessels may be permitted to cross on a case by case basis.
The rule amends Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations Part 165, Subpart F by adding Section 165.1322, which establishes Regulated Navigation Areas (RNA) in the coastal inlets and rivers of Oregon and Washington where hazardous bars exist. The requirements of the regulated navigation areas replace the “other unsafe conditions” found in 33 CFR 177.07(f) that applied to recreational and uninspected passenger vessels operating in the former Regulated Boating Areas and expands requirements for lifejacket wear for additional vessels operating within the RNA when certain conditions exist. Other requirements of 33 CFR 177 – Correction of Especially Hazardous Conditions, still apply
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Our local commercial guys are worried it will effect work days. I think we will see more boats staying out in bad weather to keep from being stuck at the dock for a day or two
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Fishermen don’t like new bar rule
By Rachel Thomson - The Daily WorldMonday, December 28, 2009 11:11 AM PST
WESTPORT — For Westport salmon troller Doug Fricke, the Grays Harbor bar — the sometimes treacherous spot at the entrance to the harbor — isn’t just a gateway to the ocean, it’s what stands between him and financial well-being.
When the Coast Guard closes traffic at the bar for an extended period of time, it can have a big financial impact.
“If you go fishing four days a week and you lose one day because it’s closed, that’s pretty significant.”
The situation Fricke describes may become more commonplace. A U.S. Coast Guard rule to establish Regulated Navigation Areas along the Oregon and Washington coasts will allow the Coast Guard to close and restrict access to as many as 16 river bars, including Grays Harbor, on the Washington and Oregon coasts. The rule took effect last week.
The Coast Guard says it won’t mean significant differences in the bar closure policy. But some fishermen are skeptical.
Lt. Kion Evans, a spokesman for the Coast Guard’s 13th District in Astoria, which oversees operations at stations in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, told The Daily Astorian that there is a misconception by some bar users about the changes. “Those bar users have misunderstood the new rule,” Evans, said, noting the rule stands to have minimal effect on current procedures for recreational vessels and uninspected passenger vessels crossing river bars in dangerous conditions. “The biggest misconception is that things are changing, when they’re really not,” Evans said.
The Coast Guard says safety is the preliminary reason for the rule change. Since 1992, 39 vessels have capsized in the vicinities of the proposed Regulated Navigational Areas, and 66 people died in the accidents, according to the Coast Guard.
Some fishermen think the sometimes subjective process used locally to close bars is flawed. Ray Toste, president of the Washington Dungeness Crab Fishermen’s Association, said the rule couldn’t come at a worse time — just as crab fishing season is getting under way. Crabbing for Klipsasn Beach north to Destruction Island (which affects the Westport fleet) begins Jan. 2. Crabbing north of Destruction Island to Cape Flattery opens Jan. 15. South of Klipsan Beach — which is just north of the Columbia River — has been open to crabbing since Dec. 1.
Toste crosses the bar every day during the season, if conditions permit.
He said the rule will be a detriment to the crab fishery because fisherman could be stuck in the marina for extended periods of time waiting for the bar to reopen — even when fishermen think conditions are favorable enough. Local port authorities don’t have the authority to open a bar — that responsibility lies with the Captain of the Port in Portland.
Bar restrictions can be made by a local representative designated to act on the Captain of the Port’s behalf, but according to Toste, the designee’s hands are tied if the Captain of the Port isn’t on duty to make the call.
“It’s going to have a huge, negative impact,” Toste said. He added that the disparity causes a rift between the users and the Coast Guard.
“When the bar is closed, the loss of money to the fleet is huge. The frustration to the fleet is huge and that frustration spills over.”
The rule allows the Coast Guard to close or restrict the bar when weather conditions are considered hazardous. Vessels are categorized by size, and when the bar is restricted, smaller boats cannot enter the restricted area, according to Evans.
The frequency of bar closures shouldn’t change because of the new regulation, Evans said. “The only thing that determines that is the weather,” he told the Astorian.
But Toste contends the many years of experience fishermen have acquired make them experts on judging bar conditions.
“Fisherman know when to go out and when to come in,” Toste said. “We’re masters at what we do. There are times when the weather’s so bad we won’t go. Nobody has a death wish.”
The rule also adds new life jacket requirements for vessels crossing a bar when unsafe conditions exist. These new requirements are based on the type of vessel — recreational boats, uninspected passenger vessels, commercial fishing vessel, and inspected small passenger vessels — and require vessels of a certain length or smaller that are crossing the bar to have personnel on deck don life jackets when there is a restriction to recreational or uninspected passenger vessels of a determined length.
Vessels that have additional safety requirements imposed because of their length are also required to check in with the Coast Guard between sunset and sunrise.
One change to the rule made during the public comment period in Astoria and Newport last year integrated certain exceptions for large, deep-draft vessels. Vessels may be permitted to cross the bars on a case by case basis and mariners can contact the Coast Guard Captain of the Port or the local Captain of the Port designee for an exclusion.
The rule is also exempt to charterboats, according to Mark Cedergreen, executive director of the Westport Charter Boat Association. Charter boat operators have their own policy for crossing the bar that is based on safety recommendations set forth by the Coast Guard.
“If it’s too rough out there, we don’t cross,” Cedergreen said.
The regulation also uses a formula to define unsafe conditions for water vessels, using the ship’s length and its clearance above water and the wave height at the time under scrutiny, among other criteria. The formula is the same one that has been used since 1974, according to Evans.
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Dec 15th, 2009 by cgnews.
SEATTLE — A Coast Guard rule to establish Regulated Navigation Areas (RNA) along the Oregon and Washington coasts will become effective Thursday.
The new rule will have minimal effect on current procedures for restricting operation of recreational vessels and uninspected passenger vessels in the RNA due to unsafe conditions. However, the rule does address new lifejacket requirements for vessels crossing a bar when unsafe conditions exist. These new requirements are based on the type of vessel (recreational boat, uninspected passenger vessels, commercial fishing vessel, and inspected small passenger vessels) and require vessels of a certain length or smaller that are crossing the bar to have personnel on deck don lifejackets when there is a restriction to recreational or uninspected passenger vessels of a determined length. Vessels that have additional safety requirements imposed due to their length are also required to check in with the Coast Guard between sunset and sunrise.
The rule streamlines the process of closing bars within the RNA when severe environmental conditions exist. The number of bar closures that occur will not be affected by these regulations. The Coast Guard feels this rule will help mitigate risks associated with the bars and enhance the safety of the persons and vessels operating on and in the vicinity of them.
Mariners desiring to cross a bar restricted to them or that is closed are advised to contact the Coast Guard Captain of the Port or the local Captain of the Port designee. Vessels may be permitted to cross on a case by case basis.
The rule amends Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations Part 165, Subpart F by adding Section 165.1322, which establishes Regulated Navigation Areas (RNA) in the coastal inlets and rivers of Oregon and Washington where hazardous bars exist. The requirements of the regulated navigation areas replace the “other unsafe conditions” found in 33 CFR 177.07(f) that applied to recreational and uninspected passenger vessels operating in the former Regulated Boating Areas and expands requirements for lifejacket wear for additional vessels operating within the RNA when certain conditions exist. Other requirements of 33 CFR 177 – Correction of Especially Hazardous Conditions, still apply
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ________________________________________________
Our local commercial guys are worried it will effect work days. I think we will see more boats staying out in bad weather to keep from being stuck at the dock for a day or two
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ________________________________________________
Fishermen don’t like new bar rule
By Rachel Thomson - The Daily WorldMonday, December 28, 2009 11:11 AM PST
WESTPORT — For Westport salmon troller Doug Fricke, the Grays Harbor bar — the sometimes treacherous spot at the entrance to the harbor — isn’t just a gateway to the ocean, it’s what stands between him and financial well-being.
When the Coast Guard closes traffic at the bar for an extended period of time, it can have a big financial impact.
“If you go fishing four days a week and you lose one day because it’s closed, that’s pretty significant.”
The situation Fricke describes may become more commonplace. A U.S. Coast Guard rule to establish Regulated Navigation Areas along the Oregon and Washington coasts will allow the Coast Guard to close and restrict access to as many as 16 river bars, including Grays Harbor, on the Washington and Oregon coasts. The rule took effect last week.
The Coast Guard says it won’t mean significant differences in the bar closure policy. But some fishermen are skeptical.
Lt. Kion Evans, a spokesman for the Coast Guard’s 13th District in Astoria, which oversees operations at stations in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, told The Daily Astorian that there is a misconception by some bar users about the changes. “Those bar users have misunderstood the new rule,” Evans, said, noting the rule stands to have minimal effect on current procedures for recreational vessels and uninspected passenger vessels crossing river bars in dangerous conditions. “The biggest misconception is that things are changing, when they’re really not,” Evans said.
The Coast Guard says safety is the preliminary reason for the rule change. Since 1992, 39 vessels have capsized in the vicinities of the proposed Regulated Navigational Areas, and 66 people died in the accidents, according to the Coast Guard.
Some fishermen think the sometimes subjective process used locally to close bars is flawed. Ray Toste, president of the Washington Dungeness Crab Fishermen’s Association, said the rule couldn’t come at a worse time — just as crab fishing season is getting under way. Crabbing for Klipsasn Beach north to Destruction Island (which affects the Westport fleet) begins Jan. 2. Crabbing north of Destruction Island to Cape Flattery opens Jan. 15. South of Klipsan Beach — which is just north of the Columbia River — has been open to crabbing since Dec. 1.
Toste crosses the bar every day during the season, if conditions permit.
He said the rule will be a detriment to the crab fishery because fisherman could be stuck in the marina for extended periods of time waiting for the bar to reopen — even when fishermen think conditions are favorable enough. Local port authorities don’t have the authority to open a bar — that responsibility lies with the Captain of the Port in Portland.
Bar restrictions can be made by a local representative designated to act on the Captain of the Port’s behalf, but according to Toste, the designee’s hands are tied if the Captain of the Port isn’t on duty to make the call.
“It’s going to have a huge, negative impact,” Toste said. He added that the disparity causes a rift between the users and the Coast Guard.
“When the bar is closed, the loss of money to the fleet is huge. The frustration to the fleet is huge and that frustration spills over.”
The rule allows the Coast Guard to close or restrict the bar when weather conditions are considered hazardous. Vessels are categorized by size, and when the bar is restricted, smaller boats cannot enter the restricted area, according to Evans.
The frequency of bar closures shouldn’t change because of the new regulation, Evans said. “The only thing that determines that is the weather,” he told the Astorian.
But Toste contends the many years of experience fishermen have acquired make them experts on judging bar conditions.
“Fisherman know when to go out and when to come in,” Toste said. “We’re masters at what we do. There are times when the weather’s so bad we won’t go. Nobody has a death wish.”
The rule also adds new life jacket requirements for vessels crossing a bar when unsafe conditions exist. These new requirements are based on the type of vessel — recreational boats, uninspected passenger vessels, commercial fishing vessel, and inspected small passenger vessels — and require vessels of a certain length or smaller that are crossing the bar to have personnel on deck don life jackets when there is a restriction to recreational or uninspected passenger vessels of a determined length.
Vessels that have additional safety requirements imposed because of their length are also required to check in with the Coast Guard between sunset and sunrise.
One change to the rule made during the public comment period in Astoria and Newport last year integrated certain exceptions for large, deep-draft vessels. Vessels may be permitted to cross the bars on a case by case basis and mariners can contact the Coast Guard Captain of the Port or the local Captain of the Port designee for an exclusion.
The rule is also exempt to charterboats, according to Mark Cedergreen, executive director of the Westport Charter Boat Association. Charter boat operators have their own policy for crossing the bar that is based on safety recommendations set forth by the Coast Guard.
“If it’s too rough out there, we don’t cross,” Cedergreen said.
The regulation also uses a formula to define unsafe conditions for water vessels, using the ship’s length and its clearance above water and the wave height at the time under scrutiny, among other criteria. The formula is the same one that has been used since 1974, according to Evans.
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