On the evening of April 8, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Sgt. Ben Sisk and officer Billy Williams quickly launched their boat into the Arkansas River. The two were responding to a craft in distress at Ozark-Jeta Taylor Lock and Dam in Franklin County. A pontoon boat with three people aboard was stuck at a floodgate in the flow of recent rainwater and was in danger of capsizing.
Read the rest of the story here
DNR Wardens in South Carolina have been conducting search and rescue missions of people and pets during the severe flooding event in South Carolina over the last several days. Wardens are uniquely trained in watercraft operation and equipped with the watercraft necessary for this important public service during this emergency response.
See a Powerpoint presentation showing DNR wardens engaged in search and rescue and other public safety services during this emergency here.
President Obama kicked off the “Our Ocean” conference in Chile with a video welcome highlighting several new oceans-related policy announcements including:
· NOAA and the Administration are taking steps to create two new marine sanctuaries in Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan and Maryland’s Mallows Bay-Potomac River.
· The Administration is developing new sustainable tools to combat illegal fishing including a new program called Sea Scout that will unite global stakeholders to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
See the video of the speech here
"Operation Pulse"
State Fish and Wildlife agencies occupy a critical role in the fight against illegal, undocumented, unregulated (IUU) fishing. While the West Coast seafood industry was built on domestic fishing, the infrastructure, cultural diversity, and world-wide market connections have made it an attractive place for international brokers, importers and exporters to operate. Some of the largest commercial ports in the United States are found in Washington, where large quantities of fish and shellfish are delivered, traded, transported, stored and shipped. Choke points such as freight forwarders, retail markets, airports and cold storage facilities provide limitless opportunities to identify illegally harvested product linked to domestic and international fisheries.
Operation Pulse was a collaborative effort to trace seafood backwards to its source to determine compliance and detect violations. Over 11 months, 163 inspections were conducted and 533 violations were uncovered.
See the full report on Operation Pulse here
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM THE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF MARINE RESOURCES
DATE: October 2, 2015
CONTACT: Jeff Nichols, Maine Department of Marine Resources, 207-624-6569
Maine Marine Patrol Recovers Body of Deceased Man from Circling Lobster Board
The Maine Marine Patrol recovered the body of a North Haven lobsterman who apparently died while underway today.
At approximately 3:15 pm today the Marine Patrol received a report of a lobster boat going in circles near Owls Head Light south of Rockland Harbor. The vessel, Legacy, was owned and operated by lobsterman Robert Staples, 78 of North Haven.
Sergeant Matt Talbot and Specialist Corrie Roberts responded from Rockland in a Marine Patrol Protector vessel and found Staples’ vessel traveling in circles in 3-4 seas and 20 knot winds. They were met at the scene by members of the US Coast Guard who had confirmed that an unconscious individual was on board.
Battling difficult conditions, Sergeant Talbot maneuvered alongside the circling fishing vessel and, after several attempts Specialist Roberts was able to jump on board the Legacy and gain control of the vessel. Members of the US Coast Guard then boarded and attempted to resuscitate Mr. Staples while Specialist Roberts brought the vessel to Rockland Harbor.
There they were met by members of the Rockland EMS who attempted to unsuccessfully resuscitate Mr. Staples.
The State Medical Examiner has ruled that Mr. Staples’ died of natural causes.
NOTE: See a photo by photographer Bob Trapani who captured the moment just before Specialist Roberts jumped from the Marine Patrol Protector into Mr. Staples’ boat here.