DATE: February 4, 2011 8:32:10 PM PST
News Release: Update – Coast Guard, DOE continue to monitor area where the Vicious Fisher sank
SEATTLE – The Coast Guard and Washington Dept. of Ecology(DOE) continue to respond to pollution concerns after the 80-foot fishing vessel, Vicious Fisher, sank in about 360 feet of water approximately 13 miles west of La Push, Wash., Thursday.
The Coast Guard safely removed all five crewmembers from the vessel by approximately 6 p.m., Thursday after final efforts to dewater the vessel failed. No injuries have been reported.
The steel hulled Vicious Fisher homeported in Bellingham, Wash., sank with approximately 3,800 gallons of diesel fuel onboard.
Coast Guard and DOE officials conducted an on-scene assessment Friday morning and determined salvage of the vessel was not possible due to the depth of water it sank in.
Friday, Coast Guard helicopter crews conducted two over flights of the area where the vessel sank and discovered a two-mile, light sheen and the life raft belonging to the Vicious Fisher in the vicinity of the area the vessel sank. The sheen is not recoverable.
The location where the Vicious Fisher went down is located in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and is near the Quileute Indian Tribe reservation.
Coast Guard and DOE will continue to monitor the area. A third helicopter over flight is scheduled for Saturday.
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