Two people aboard a 20-foot boat near Ketchikan had their voyage terminated by the U.S. Coast Guard Thursday, following the discovery of several safety and fishing violations aboard.
U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer 1st Class David Mosley says the boat, which was conducting recreational fishing in Carroll Inlet, was boarded by Coast Guardsmen from a Station Ketchikan 25-foot response boat.
"The station crew conducted the at-sea boarding and discovered life jackets missing, an expired Alaska state boat registration and several federal subsistence Halibut fishing violations including fishing in closed waters and using excess amounts of gear," Mosley wrote in a Friday statement.
Mosley says that the Coast Guard's immediate priority in the incident was the boat's insufficient quantity of safety gear.
"That's an immediately terminable offense -- if you don't have safety gear, you're going back to the port," Mosley said.
The Coast Guard escorted the boat back to Mountain Point near Ketchikan, where it was met by agents from the National Marine Fisheries Service. According to Mosley, NMFS has yet to determine whether the boaters will be formally notified that they violated federal halibut subsistence laws.
Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters says no state charges have been filed in the incident as of Friday, which meant she couldn't comment on it.
Contact Chris Klint