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OSMB News |
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For Immediate Release |
Date: July 30, 2003 |
Resources Help Coastal Salmon Anglers
A federal, state and local partnership is working to improve recreational boating safety at the mouth of the Columbia River and other coastal estuaries this fall. The famed Buoy 10 salmon fishery opens August 1 and is expected to draw thousands of boaters to the northwest corner of the state.
The partnership, called the Northwest Coast Boating Safety Task Force, includes the 13th Coast Guard District, Oregon State Marine Board, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Clatsop County Marine Patrol, Oregon State Police and the US Coast Guard Auxiliary.
"For many salmon anglers, this is the grand salmon fishery," said Don Knesebeck, boating safety specialist for the U.S. Coast Guard. "This is big water with lots of salmon. While the fishing can be great, the boating here is more complex than on protected inland waters. We lost seven people in this fishery in 2001 and had 500 search-and-rescue (SAR) calls in a six-week period. But through a lot of hard work with boaters and our partners, rescue cases were down 30 percent and fatalities dropped to one last year."
Knesebeck hopes boaters will be even more careful this year, especially with the Taki-Tooo tragedy still fresh in people's minds. The Taki-Tooo was a commercial charter boat that overturned at the mouth of Tillamook Bay June 14, claiming 11 lives. "We learn year after year that life jackets save lives and the June charter boat accident at Tillamook Bay was an example of that – many of those who could get to a life jacket survived. We really want to encourage boaters to come out and enjoy some incredible salmon fishing this summer, but we want them to do it safely. We're putting resources in their hands at the boat launches and on the Internet that can help them have a good, safe time on the water.
A recent Oregon State Marine Board review of recreational boating accidents since 1995 found that 94.4 percent of coastal boating fatalities occur on coastal bars - that point where the outgoing river meets the ocean - or in the surf. This is especially important with the Buoy 10, Tillamook and other estuary fisheries where boaters spend large amounts of time trolling right at the mouth of the river.
"Furthermore, the review shows that people wearing life jackets have a much higher survival rate than those who don't," says Marty Law, Education Program Manager for the Oregon State Marine Board "There are several important things we want all coastal anglers to know. First, recognize and avoid conditions that are beyond your skills. Second, avoid the bar at ebb tide when it is most unstable. Finally, wear your life jacket. In accidents at the bar or in the surf, wearing a life jacket doubles your chance of survival," said Law.
Law and Knesebeck offer these other suggestions to boaters:
- Carefully check bar, tide and weather conditions before launching.
- Plan your trip when the weather is stable.
- Make sure you are carrying emergency gear like a VHF radio, flares and an anchor with plenty of line.
- Before re-entering the bay, use VHF channel 16 to get current bar conditions to ensure it's safe to cross. Conditions can change very quickly and breaking waves are difficult to see from the ocean side of the bar.
Knesebeck says VHF radios are really the best form of communication when boating on coastal waters. "VHF marine radios are affordable, compact and are simply the most effective way to monitor weather, bar conditions, get help or alert the Coast Guard of a dangerous situation. Cell phones can be carried in addition to the radios, but shouldn’t be considered as an alternate to your radio," says Knesebeck.
Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers will staff boat ramps on the Columbia and Tillamook bays this fall, handing out local waterway maps and other information. They will also perform free vessel safety checks. Additional information on Oregon's ports is posted at www.boatoregon.com.
Knesebeck points out that thousands of boaters cross the bar or fish in these estuaries each year without problem. "But when fishing is good, we know there will be more people and more problems. Maybe the best thing a boater can do is take a boating safety course and really learn how to boat these waters safely." Additional boating safety and course information is available online at the following locations.
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