One man is dead after a 20-foot recreational boat crashed into a salmon pen in Washington’s Port Angeles Harbor on Tuesday, July 30. Three survived the collision.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew was diverted from training after a member of the crew spotted someone on the boat “attempting CPR on an unresponsive individual,” according to the Coast Guard. The crew lowered a rescue swimmer, who swam to a fish pier to help resuscitate the unresponsive person.
All four boaters were attended by emergency medical crew at the pier, and one was declared dead at the scene. Two adults and a child reportedly survived. The incident is being investigated.
The salmon pen, operated by Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, reportedly was not in use at the time. In December 2017, the state of Washington terminated Cooke’s salmon pen lease in Port Angeles on the grounds that it posed a public and environmental risk. The state legislature also voted to phase out Atlantic salmon farming in state waters.
Cooke sued the state over the cancellation and is now reportedly considering raising steelhead trout in its Washington pens.
Photo courtesy of Washington Department of Natural Resources
