Motor Vessel Selendang Ayu Unified Command

Joint Information Center

Date:  Jan. 14, 2005
Contact: Joint Information Center

Coast Guard information officer: (907) 581-7600X4046
State of Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation information officer: (907) 321-5491
Responsible party's information officer: (907) 301-2593 or (907) 301-4451

Unified Command ramps up efforts in Unalaska at Dutch Harbor to ensure
Alaska’s seafood quality remains high

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Recognizing the importance of getting high quality Alaska seafood to market, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has mobilized four additional seafood inspectors to Unalaska/ Dutch Harbor in response to finding tar balls at three locations along the western shoreline of Amaknak Island in Captains Bay and Akutan Unalaska Bay. 

This unprecedented action will provide a total of eight inspectors to cover peak load deliveries of snow crab to seven seafood processing facilities in Unalaska and one in Akutan.

“The Unified Command recognizes that these inspectors constitute the front line in assuring our crab catch is uncompromised,” said State On-Scene Coordinator Gary Folley. DEC’s inspectors will inspect all items that come in contact with catch, including on the vessel as well as the processing facility’s unloading, handling and processing equipment, and worker clothing.  They will isolate and hold any oil contaminated product pending a final investigation.

In addition to doubling the effort for seafood inspections, the Unified Command has: 

-Recommended operational procedures for vessels participating in the 2005 opilio crab season intended to minimize contact with random tarballs that may be encountered while transiting to and from the fishing grounds.

-Ordered increased water quality monitoring in Unalaska Bay and also along the vessel transit routes from the fishing grounds to the processing facilities in Unalaska and Akutan.

-Dispatched two additional shoreline assessment teams to Unalaska Bay to search for tar balls.

-Mobilized a water quality vessel for crab fisheries to assist any fishermen whose gear encounters oil.

Tar patties and tar balls were first observed near the southwest shoreline of Amaknak Island, referred to as “little South America”, of Captains Bay on January 12th. The largest tar patty measured about 30 centimeters in length. Tar patties were subsequently located by shoreline assessment teams at two other locations along the western shoreline of the island, near the airport and towards the northern end
of the island. Other teams will be surveying the shoreline at planned to fly to Hog Island and around the northwest area of Unalaska Bay as weather permits.

Additional information and facts sheets on the snow crab industry, extent of oiling and transit route, as well as ongoing efforts in Dutch Harbor can be found at http://www.state.ak.us/dec/ click on Selendang Ayu.

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