I have some terrible news from the Atlantic coast. Two fishermen – Rayford Carr 50, and Anthony Hendrickson, 22 – were pulled from the ocean after the fishing vessel (F/V) Sea Breeze sank off the coast of New Jersey. However, Philip Ruhle, Sr., 58 is still missing. According to one report, the 80-foot fishing boat capsized and sank about 45 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey. The F/V Sea Breeze was targeting squid, and apparently the boat was too heavy with catch and riding too low before the weather picked up and the boat capsized. Fishing vessels store squid with some saltwater to maintain freshness and marketability of the product, so the boat was no doubt loaded down well.

The information that I provide next comes from a videotaped interview courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard with rescued crewmember Rayford Carr. According to Carr, the crew was steaming in with a 100,000 pounds of squid in calm weather. However, a breeze picked up, and water began entering the boat. At one point according to Carr, the boat was at a 45-degree angle as Captain Ruhle tried to right the boat. As the boat sat at that angle, the outrigger was far in the water, and as Captain Ruhle attempted to right the boat, it capsized. Afterwards, both rescued men climbed on top of the boat, and the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons or EPIRB alerted the Coast Guard. The incident happened so quickly that Captain Ruhle did not have time to call for help. Carr said that he is done with fishing. The first thing he did when he got home was hug his wife. There was no fisheries observer on board the F/V Sea Breeze.

Philip Ruhle, Sr. was a leader and important member of the fishing community. The F/V Sea Breeze, Philip Ruhle, Sr., Rayford Carr in addition to other crew members have provided their time to make fisheries sustainable by participating in cooperative research. Such work, has included bycatch reduction projects and improving efficiency by increasing the catch of target species through testing improved fishing nets such as the eliminator trawl. During May 2003, Captain Ruhle was recognized as an environmental hero by receiving the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Environmental Hero Award. According to NOAA, “During a time when there was little support for cooperative research between industry and the agency to test and document trawl performance, Ruhle stepped forward and worked cooperatively with the scientists and crew of the NOAA R/V Albatross IV.” My heart and prayers go out to the family of Philip Ruhle, Sr. and the survivors. From pressofAtlanticCity.com:

Rescued were Rayford Carr, 50, and Anthony Hendrickson, 22.

The Coast Guard received a signal from an electronic position indicating radio beacon, an emergency device used to signal distress, at approximately 10 p.m. Wednesday from the fishing boat Sea Breeze, homeported in North Kingstown, R.I., with three people aboard.

Two helicopter rescue crews from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., arrived on scene and hoisted two of the fisherman from the water as the boat sank.

It was reported the captain was still aboard the boat when it sank.

On the Net: F/V Sea Breeze Homepage
On the Net: Bycatch days may be bygone with creation of ‘Eliminator’ trawl
On the Net: Big Holes in Researcher’s Nets Could Boost Haddock Catch
On the Net: BYCATCH REDUCTION IN THE DIRECTED HADDOCK BOTTOM TRAWL FISHERY

From YouTube:

An interview with Rayford Carr, a survivor from the Sea Breeze, an 80-foot fishing boat from Rhode Island that capsized and sank 45 miles off the coast of Atlantic City, N.J., July 24, 2008.
(Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard)