Establishment of thoughtful planning and managerial programs can greatly improve safety, lower operating costs and mitigate liability for a marina. Many marina administrative programs and procedures are required to meet regulatory requirements and having them in place can prevent a costly fine.
Many floating docks can have significant freeboard, limiting the chances of successful self-rescue from the water. Combined with the effects of cold water, a fall into the waters of a harbor could prove deadly to crew and customers alike.
Boaters truly have a vested interest in preserving the marine environment. Taking responsibility now ensures the likelihood of boating access into the future. Simply defined, clean boating means that you have some concern for what you’re leaving in your wake.
Harbors located along the Pacific Coast should monitor and plan for the effects of earthquakes and their often related tsunami. One source of timely information is the Alaska Earthquake Information Center (AEIC). The Alaska Legislature established the AEIC by statute in 1986. Home of the second greatest earthquake recorded in 1964 and the most seismically [...]
In October of 2006, prolonged precipitation accompanied by unseasonably warm conditions in the mountains caused the early snow to melt all at once. During a two day period, ten inches of rain fell, with more than six inches falling within one day. Residents of Valdez were cutoff from the outside world for ten days while [...]
Several organizations have come together to keep Alaska’s boat harbors clean and protect the environment. The Alaska Clean Harbors Certification Program offers guidance to harbormasters and marina managers on how to operate their mooring facilities in an eco-friendly way. Natural resource agencies in Alaska have historically focused on preventing major pollution and oil spill incidents. [...]
Michael Fisher with Northern Economics is very involved with the Alaska Harbor Economic Impact Model (HEIM) project. HEIM has funded by the Alaska Department of Transportation and supported by the Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators. The model uses a graphical interface and based in Microsoft Excel. HEIM is available free of charge. Get [...]
A group of harbormaster that work with started talking about developing a distance delivered harbor employee training program about six years ago. The costs turned out to be excessive and the program was shelved. During this year’s spring conference of the Pacific Coast Congress of Harbormasters and Port Managers (PCC) in Juneau, I had a [...]
Harbors are attractive to wildlife and those who enjoy watching that wildlife. Alaskan harbors often have protected animals like marine mammals call their facilities home. Marine mammals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA). The act prohibits harassment of marine mammals and defines this as any action that causes disruption in [...]
Fuel and petroleum can cause major problems for wildlife and the marine environment. Federal and State law is very strict concerning the discharge of oil or fuel into the water. The penalties and cleanup costs can be severe. It is a very good idea to have an idea of how much fuel your boat carries [...]
