 |
Commercial Fishingnews, events, and other information for the commercial fishing, aquaculture, and seafood industries |
 |
By daybreak
Published: January 29, 2009
Print
Email
Congressman Barney Frank has urged the Coast Guard to improve the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) technology, used to track commercial fishing boats, in order to improve safety within the fishing industry.
VMS is used mainly to determine whether fishing boats are operating in areas where they are legally entitled to fish. But, fishermen have long called for the technology to also be used as a method for helping determine the location of vessels in emergency situations. When the fishing vessel Patriot sank recently with the tragic loss of its two man crew, VMS was employed in the rescue effort, but in this case the technology and procedures for using the system were found to have flaws.
In a letter to Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, Frank states "The gaps in the existing capability to track vessels in emergency situations or adverse weather conditions have long been evident, and the recent tragic sinking of the Patriot with the loss of its two man crew makes it clear in my view that we need to take action to expand the safety applications of VMS as soon as possible. As you may be aware, the Coast Guard did attempt to use VMS in the Patriot rescue attempts, but it was not as effective as it could have been."
Congressman Frank went on to mention sentiments of commercial fishermen, explaining "The potential use of VMS for safety as well as enforcement purposes has been raised repeatedly by fishermen. In fact, this idea was discussed by industry representatives and Coast Guard representatives at the public fishing safety forum I convened in New Bedford in March 2007. During the discussion, Coast Guard officials suggested that the technology and procedures governing the use of VMS might need some refinements before it could be reliably used for safety purposes. Following that meeting, I proposed that the Coast Guard expand its research efforts to begin focusing specifically on safety issues, including the potential use of VMS."
Submit Article
Published: January 29, 2009
Print
EmailCongressman Barney Frank has urged the Coast Guard to improve the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) technology, used to track commercial fishing boats, in order to improve safety within the fishing industry.
VMS is used mainly to determine whether fishing boats are operating in areas where they are legally entitled to fish. But, fishermen have long called for the technology to also be used as a method for helping determine the location of vessels in emergency situations. When the fishing vessel Patriot sank recently with the tragic loss of its two man crew, VMS was employed in the rescue effort, but in this case the technology and procedures for using the system were found to have flaws.
In a letter to Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, Frank states "The gaps in the existing capability to track vessels in emergency situations or adverse weather conditions have long been evident, and the recent tragic sinking of the Patriot with the loss of its two man crew makes it clear in my view that we need to take action to expand the safety applications of VMS as soon as possible. As you may be aware, the Coast Guard did attempt to use VMS in the Patriot rescue attempts, but it was not as effective as it could have been."
Congressman Frank went on to mention sentiments of commercial fishermen, explaining "The potential use of VMS for safety as well as enforcement purposes has been raised repeatedly by fishermen. In fact, this idea was discussed by industry representatives and Coast Guard representatives at the public fishing safety forum I convened in New Bedford in March 2007. During the discussion, Coast Guard officials suggested that the technology and procedures governing the use of VMS might need some refinements before it could be reliably used for safety purposes. Following that meeting, I proposed that the Coast Guard expand its research efforts to begin focusing specifically on safety issues, including the potential use of VMS."
Submit Article