US Coast Guard 'Alarmed' By Mariners Turning Off AIS

Crabbers keeping their spots secret?

Can't you see their spots - they have numbered pot buoys!

$35k fine for not keeping big brother informed of your identity and location every moment you're away from dock. Boggles the mind. That's as bad as the FAA's version called ADSb-out. And that's the agency who prides themselves on overreach and unnecessary bureaucracy.

menzies said:

Can't you see their spots - they have numbered pot buoys!

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Out here, many pots snagged by booms have no ID. The crabs are still tasty, but the owner can't be thanked.

Think "Deadliest Catch"....even when we searched for crabbers in the Bearing Sea....it took a long time and wasted searches looking for where the missing crabber was working pots.


A $35,000 fine compared to a several hundred thousand in catch difference....maybe not a bad gamble.


But I thought it curious that before AIS....many fishing vessels already had satellite GPS trackers on then so NOAA fisheries could track them....guess back in the early 90's crabbers didn't.

When did having an AIS become a requirement?

ancora said:

When did having an AIS become a requirement?

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It's not required for pleasure craft, but for some commercial vessels it's required.

ancora said:

When did having an AIS become a requirement?

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Over 65 feet commercial.

Commercial vessels, 65 ft or more, WITHIN 12 NAUTICAL MILES OF SHORE. I don't think that covers the middle of the Bering Sea.

Interestingly, the primary (US Park Service Authorized) tour boat in the Apostle Islands does NOT operate AIS. Their registered length is 64.8 feet.

For a boat that operates in a manner that is unusual compared to other vessels (in terms of route and speed), and in an area that's subject to fog and sudden storms, it seems irresponsible to operate without it. But, they're not legally required to so it's their choice I guess.
BD

Quite a few of the open party and charter sport fishing boats in our area turn their AIS off.

Same story different news organization:

https://www.workboat.com/coast-guar...ISEdqQjl0eWtEdldlRVQ0RmMyMTl3Y0tCN2xDYTUifQ==

So a little story about AIS and commercial vessels.

2019 we were heading across the three rapids at Dent Rapids. We were kind of in line with quite a few other boats. This is a narrow passage. Then a 106 ft pleasure boat come barreling up beside my STBD side, maybe 30 feet from my boat at pretty much full throttle. Rolled us and other boats a lot.

I tried calling him on the VHF, no answer. He had no AIS transmitting. I did notice the name "Mixer" Sitka Alaska. I found out later that the owner of the boat was using it as a Charter out of Sitka. Later I had a few choice words with the owner.

This year she has a new Captain, a guy I know. When I told him about the above adventure he laughed. "Tom, why do you think he is no longer the Captain. You and several other folks had run in with the way Mixer was being operated." Owner didn't like the bad press.

So here is an example of a Recreational/Charter not turning on his AIS. He was also suppose to enter the VTS system and he did not.

https://www.charterworld.com/index.html?sub=yacht-charter&charter=mixer-4802

Politics is not the thing to do here, but on this one its part of the answer methinks. I'll make the point briefly and shut up.

In response to the cancel culture thing going on, you have to have seen there is a backlash where many are just tuning out of anything tracked. Just in anger. Encrypted message apps have skyrocketed among people who do nothing more with them than to schedule lunch plans.

If this simple observation of fact is still too much for the board, I'll apologize up front and ask the mods to delete the post. I'm not trying to pick fights on this.

FWT said:

Politics is not the thing to do here, but on this one its part of the answer methinks. I'll make the point briefly and shut up.

In response to the cancel culture thing going on, you have to have seen there is a backlash where many are just tuning out of anything tracked. Just in anger. Encrypted message apps have skyrocketed among people who do nothing more with them than to schedule lunch plans.

If this simple observation of fact is still too much for the board, I'll apologize up front and ask the mods to delete the post. I'm not trying to pick fights on this.

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Give me a break; equating AIS tracking and cancel culture? Stick with boating when you are on TF and take your political opinions to a different website devoted to your ideas of thinking.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

So a little story about AIS and commercial vessels. Then a 106 ft pleasure boat come barreling up beside my STBD side. He had no AIS transmitting.
So here is an example of a Recreational/Charter not turning on his AIS. He was also suppose to enter the VTS system and he did not.

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Question really is; was Mixer required to be transmitting AIS?

soin2la said:

Question really is; was Mixer required to be transmitting AIS?

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I think so.

Effective March 2nd, 2015, certain commercially self-propelled vessels must have a properly installed, operational Automatic Identification System (AIS) no later than March 1st, 2016. The following vessels are required to install and use a Class A AIS transponder:

All commercial vessels of 65 feet or more in length (except as defined below)
Towing vessels of 26 feet or more in length and more than 600 horsepower
...Passenger vessels that are 65 feet or more and certificated to carry less than 150 passengers but operate in a Vessel Traffic Service area or at speeds in excess of 14 knots...

Larry M said:

I think so.

Effective March 2nd, 2015, certain commercially self-propelled vessels must have a properly installed, operational Automatic Identification System (AIS) no later than March 1st, 2016. The following vessels are required to install and use a Class A AIS transponder:

All commercial vessels of 65 feet or more in length (except as defined below)
Towing vessels of 26 feet or more in length and more than 600 horsepower
...Passenger vessels that are 65 feet or more and certificated to carry less than 150 passengers but operate in a Vessel Traffic Service area or at speeds in excess of 14 knots...

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Yes, all that’s understood, but post 13 describes Mixer as commercial, pleasure, recreational and charter. USCG shows her as “Pleasure.”

My son is in the Merchant Marine...the captain of the vessel has the option of turning the AIS off when the safety of the vessel is in question, i.e. Straits of Hormuz, coast of Somalia, etc.

rslifkin said:

It's not required for pleasure craft, but for some commercial vessels it's required.

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It's only a matter of time...

soin2la said:

Question really is; was Mixer required to be transmitting AIS?

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So I would guess that he is a commercial charter boat, so yes. However, if it is just being ferried to Sitka with no guests on board, then at the very lease he would be required to report in to VTS. My guess.

soin2la said:

Yes, all that’s understood, but post 13 describes Mixer as commercial, pleasure, recreational and charter. USCG shows her as “Pleasure.”

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Yet if you look at the web link, she appears not to be "Recreational" rather a Charter Boat, unless the USCG regards such vessels as recreational.

ASD and Mixer were in Canada at the time. USCG regulations don't apply.
What are the Canadian regulations regarding AIS?

porman said:

ASD and Mixer were in Canada at the time. USCG regulations don't apply.
What are the Canadian regulations regarding AIS?

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USCG registration is applicable though and I was alluding to the fact Mixer is USCG registered as recreational, putting it in the pleasure category in Canada, so AIS not mandatory.

soin2la said:

USCG registration is applicable though and I was alluding to the fact Mixer is USCG registered as recreational, putting it in the pleasure category in Canada, so AIS not mandatory.

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So Mixer is 104 ft. Required to report into Victoria and PR traffic.?

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

So Mixer is 104 ft. Required to report into Victoria and PR traffic.?

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Yes.

soin2la said:

Yes.

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But not AIS? In Canada?

Canadian recreational vessels over 20 meters (66') that can carry more than 12 passengers require AIS.

If there are only 2 on board but it CAN carry more than 12, then what?

Greg S said:

Canadian recreational vessels over 20 meters (66') that can carry more than 12 passengers require AIS.

If there are only 2 on board but it CAN carry more than 12, then what?

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"Passengers" imply commercial. Commercial vessels have stated capacities. The regulation would be based on that capacity.

The term "guests" means recreational, or non commercial.