Coast Guard Busts Illegal Charter Captains

[Admin]

PORTSMOUTH, Va. - The Coast Guard issued citations to two catfish charter fishing captains Wednesday night for illegal chartering operations on the James River in the Richmond/Hopewell area.
Catfishing has become very popular in the area in recent years. Guides often schedule up to three charters per week. It is not uncommon for these fishing guides to charge up to $300 for a two-person party.
While several of the guides operating in the area are licensed, several others are running illegal, unlicensed charters. These charters create a public safety concern because they are routinely conducted at night and these boaters lack the formal navigation and boating safety training required by law.
Within the last 12 months, there have been five boating related deaths on the James River. Licensed Captains have completed a rigorous testing process which ensures they have the prerequisite knowledge to safely carry passengers for hire.
Well known fishing guides/captains routinely advertise their services in magazines and local newspapers. To find out if a charter is properly licensed, contact the Coast Guard Regional Exam Center in Baltimore,Md. at (410) 962-5132 or Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads, Investigations Division in Norfolk, Va. at (757) 668-5540.

[VT-tuna]

Edit:
This thread was obviously not intended for discussion. More an FYI i guess.

[Bert Rodgers]

I'm not seeing any relevence between the 5 deaths and the purpose of the story.

Bert

[bigeasy]

I'm not seeing any relevence between the 5 deaths and the purpose of the story.

Bert

It is rare that charter operations result in serious injury or death. But it occurs with enough frequency that it is not unreasonable to expect a charter operator to have a certain minimum competence level. A drivers license is required to maneuver an automobile and a higher level of knowledge is required for a commercial driving license. The requirements for a Captains License are not particularly difficult to master. Perhaps the illicit operator greatest violation is his attiude that he is above the law. Rather than putting himself to the test to be a captain, he is willing to take his chances outside the law. I believe such a person shows his true colors, and I would not put my life in his hands.

[Bert Rodgers]

Cliff, I agree 100% but the stats were just kind of thrown out there with no connection to the story. My critical eye picking out silly media inuendo.

Bert