
There’s a lot for commercial fishermen to do in preparation for an upcoming season, both on the vessel and with the crew.
Preventative maintenance and regular crew training classes will help keep the boat running efficiently, support important safety measures while onboard and provide a solid foundation for a productive time while out fishing.
Checking equipment and inspecting a vessel is especially important after sitting idle during the off season. This is also the time to review maintenance schedules and stability guidelines, sign up for refresher courses, take an inventory of changes (both equipment and crew) and assess safety routines.
It’s also important to conduct emergency drills once most of the crew is together in advance of the season.
Before heading out to sea, all the proper permits, paperwork and inspections also need to be completed.
Fishermen’s News gathered tips and advice on what to do to prepare and get a vessel and crew in tip-top shape before heading out to work on the water.
The first place is to start is the FishSafeWest.info website, Alaska Marine Safety Education Association Trainer Jerry Dzugan said.
“For anything that’s new (that) the Coast Guard is requiring or pushing, they’re going to update the checklist generator for that,” he said.
Users can input their vessel length, number of crewmembers, distance offshore, vessel type and region, then answer some general questions. The application will generate a checklist of items required for the specific vessel based on the information provided.
More information and guidance about each item is available for review. The tool is designed to help mariners prepare for their dockside exam. All items need to be completed on the vessel prior to requesting an exam by a U.S. Coast Guard fishing vessel examiner or USCG accepted third party examination organization.
The checklist will include items in categories, including document, placards and plans; bridge and navigation equipment; life-saving equipment; firefighting equipment, and engine room and remaining vessel areas.
The next step is to go through the voluntary safety initiatives and good marine practices by the Coast Guard, Dzugan said. Although the guidelines are voluntary and not required, it’s a good idea to implement them, as they’re essentially setting up a “standard of care,” he said.
“These are the things that a prudent mariner would want to do to their vessel, above and beyond the requirements,” Dzugan explained.

Vessel Stability
Several experts also focused on vessel stability, a leading cause of vessel disasters.
“The number one thing is to follow and review your stability guidelines,” Dzugan emphasized.
Fishing vessels over 50 feet are required to have stability guidelines done by a naval architect or a nautical engineer, he noted.
Dzugan recommended that when reviewing stability guidelines, mariners consider if any changes have been made over time to the weight distribution of the vessel. For example, if a new crane was added or a bulbous bow was installed, he said.
“If you’ve done any changes to your vessel that affect the weight distribution or it affects the shape of the of the boat underwater,” he explained.
At a minimum, the stability guidelines should be checked by a naval architect or nautical engineer once every five years, Dzugan added.
“Weight creep,” the gradual increase of weight to a vessel due to extra gear, spare parts, etc., can be hazardous to the stability of a boat over time. It adds about a half a percent in weight displacement to a vessel every year, he said, and that leads to a significant amount of displacement after a few years.
Stability issues and related flooding cause about half of all casualties of mariners out on the water, followed by people falling overboard, Dzugan said.
He named several sinkings in recent years (f/v Scandies Rose, f/v Destination, f/v Big Valley) where stability was a leading cause.
“We’ve been losing boats to stability for a long time now,” Dzugan said. “I would say there was not enough attention, in any of those incidences, to stability.”
Experienced mariners may have operated a vessel numerous times in bad weather and rough conditions, but all it takes is one different factor and it “changes the whole equation,” he commented.
“Keeping your risk awareness up … and don’t take stability for granted. Don’t lose respect for the stability for a vessel,” Dzugan said.
Fishing vessels are unique in that they are changing the displacement, or how much weight is on the boat, once they get out to sea, Dzugan pointed out. Stability classes are an important part of training the crew, Dzugan emphasized. They are inexpensive or free and not too time consuming (typically four or five hours), he added.
Consideration for stability should be added to commercial fishermen’s preseason routine, Fish Safe BC Program Coordinator John Krgovich said.
“As the fishing season approaches, so do the preseason routines of getting vessels and crews ready for the season,” he said. “Safety should be part of this preseason routine.”
Typically, the routine could include checking and maintaining safety equipment, ensuring a safe work procedure is in place, and making sure to have an emergency plan. The plan should be practiced by doing emergency drills.
“But what about the things that have changed? The things that may have fallen out of our routine? Many of us have taken advantage of technologies and automation which have seen us add or discharge equipment on our vessels with hopes of making our operations more efficient and profitable,” Krgovich said.
“As we know, these physical changes affect the stability of our vessels and it may be time to reassess our vessels’ stability as part of this year’s preseason routine,” he added.
Adding this important step to the process could include an annual inventory of changes and digging out stability books and resource materials to review what the current stability threats are, he explained.
Krgovich also suggested that it might be a good idea to take a refresher course or workshop in stability, so that the captain and crew are aware of the effect of changes made to the vessel.

Another possible change to the preseason safety routine could stem from changes in crew size, he noted. They have seen reduction of crew size on some vessels with select automation, which may enhance the bottom line for those vessels, but could prompt certain changes in usual procedures.
“Preseason is a good time to re-evaluate your safety routines, so they reflect any changes to crew size,” Krgovich said. “This may include updating your vessel’s safe work practices, updating your emergency plans and doing your drills so that you have accounted for any reduction in crew, which may have changed the way you respond to an emergency.”
Safety issues on some smaller fishing vessels have been exposed when crews of four are reduced to three, he added.
For example, this becomes evident in a person-overboard situation. Remembering that one member of the crew is in the water, the response with three people is much more efficient in retrieval than with a crew of two, he explained.
“If your vessel is now operating with a reduction of crew, preseason is the time to see if you can retrieve a person in the water, not when it happens during the season,” Krgovich stated. “Keep safety as part of your preseason routine, but an updated safety routine is essential to ensure you, and your crew will come home safely again this year.”
Safety Orientation
Dzugan also recommended that mariners complete vessel safety orientation and drills before the season starts.
“Make sure everybody has a duty in an emergency,” he said.
He recalled a story from a skipper who took the class last year and had an electrical fire in the wheelhouse. His crew had been trained and everyone knew their job in an emergency. They extinguished the fire, put the call out over the radio and it was over.
It was almost a “non-event,” Dzugan said.
The drill classes are affordable or free, he noted, so there’s no reason not to take one (plus a refresher every three-to-five years).
Regarding mechanical care of the vessel, to help prevent stability issues, Dzugan suggested checking out the hull fittings, valves, conical plugs and watertight door handles.
Check that the water-tight bulkheads are properly sealed. People have a tendency to put pipes and wiring through them and then forget to close them up so that they’re watertight again, he remarked.
Dzugan also recommended ensuring all hydraulics and electronics are working, changing oil filters, reviewing the engine maintenance schedule, getting the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) tested and checking the steering system and rudder.
He also highlighted the importance of inspecting electrical systems and wiring, particularly where the wiring is often bundled up as it goes into the wheelhouse. It only takes one bad wire to cause a fire. This is also a good time to look over the fire extinguishers onboard, he added, and ensure everyone knows how to use one.
Additional tips include:
- Look above at the rigging and make sure the wire is in good condition, the shackles have the pin secured in place with wire so the pin can’t back out. Consider installing safety chains.
- Check the life raft to make sure the raft and the hydrostatic release expiration are current or ready to expire during the fishing season. Make sure the hydrostatic release is in the proper position.
- Each month, check proper operation of smoke, fire and general alarms. Also check that fire extinguishers are fully charged, cleared by a professional every year, in good condition and are not covered over by clothing, raingear, etc.
“Before you start the season, take the vessel out and run the gear. Make sure everything is running as it’s supposed to before ruining your first trip by having it break down,” Dzugan said.
A boat should be hauled out twice every five years, and the hull inspected for rotting wood, corroding steel or pitting in fiberglass or aluminum, Dzugan recommended.

“Do the projects you didn’t do last year,” Dzugan said. “(Make them) a priority, don’t keep putting it off.”
While there is specific work that should be completed before heading out, ongoing preemptive upkeep of the vessel is the most beneficial in the long term.
The best way to ensure a safe and successful journey is by performing regular maintenance on critical machinery, said Tim Cooper, director of business development for Marine Group Boat Works, a full-service waterfront shipyard in San Diego.
“All vessels periodically need to be hauled out of the water to inspect their running gear,” he noted. “However, preventative maintenance not only helps avoid unexpected delays but also saves money in the long run.”
For example, he recalled a long-range sportfishing vessel that recently experienced a shaft failure during a guest trip. The crew was forced to cut the trip short, which resulted in lost revenue. Marine Group hauled out the vessel to perform the necessary emergency repairs, including fabricating and installing a new shaft, Cooper said.
“However, it was a twin-screw vessel,” he explained. “Since shafts are ‘equal-wear’ components, Marine Group’s shaft specialist recommended replacing—or at a minimum inspecting—the other shaft to ensure it was still true and safe to operate.”
“The operator—eager to return to service to recoup the loss in revenue and avoid any more immediate costs—declined the cost of replacement, let alone the inspection,” he said.
However, the second shaft failed three months later, leading to another costly emergency haul-out and an additional loss in revenue, Cooper said.
“This situation underscores the importance of maintaining equal-wear components on the same maintenance schedule,” he remarked. “When servicing one, it’s wise to inspect and service the other to prevent costly breakdowns down the road and to ensure a continuously safe operation.”
Proper permits and paperwork are another important part of preparing for the upcoming commercial fishing season. Vessel inspections need to be completed before the start of the season. The Coast Guard provides the online commercial fishing vessel checklist generator to assist vessel owners/operators in their preparations prior to the USCG examination.
Boarding team members with the Coast Guard regularly inspect fishing vessels to ensure they comply with all federal regulations.
Sara Hall has 15 years of experience at several regional and national magazines, online news outlets, and daily and weekly newspapers, where coverage has included reporting on local harbor activities, marine-based news, and regional and state coastal agencies. Her work has included photography, writing, design and layout.