Ice Accretion on Crab Pots: Rapid Evaluation and Analysis of Current Technologies (REACT) Report
Abstract
In December 2020, a Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) looking into the December 2019 sinking of the Commercial Fishing Vessel (F/V) SCANDIES ROSE requested Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) assistance to study ice accretion and accumulation on fishing pots, specifically crab/cod pots used in the Alaska/Bering Sea fishery. The MBI noted certain evidence suggesting that vessel icing was a causative factor in the SCANDIES ROSE's loss of stability and ultimate sinking. A previous investigation into the 2017 loss of F/V DESTINATION revealed that icing directly contributed to vessel loss of stability and rapid capsizing. The MBI requested RDC assistance in determining how ice accumulation occurs on the non-solid surface of the pot cage, the netting, and gear within the pot, as well as the added weight of ice accumulation over time. RDC conducted initial tests with CGC POLAR STAR during an Arctic Winter West patrol. Operating limitations prevented an in-depth analysis, so RDC planned a full series of follow-on tests in a controlled environmental chamber at U. S. Army's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab (CRREL). The experiments showed that in certain situations, a single trap could accrete more than its own weight in ice, ice accretion thickness could be a rough indicator of weight gain, and covering a pot or stack of pots with a tarpaulin (tarp) prevents ice accretion on the frame, mesh netting, warps and floats.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 31, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1157461
Entities
People
- K. P. Trubac
- M. A. Wurl
- M. J. Lewandowski
- M. S. Regan
- T. J. Elliott
- W. T. Burch
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center