The Winston Strawn firm in D.C. published a detailed analysis of the Coast Guard authorization bill posted earlier here.

The Coast Guard has proposed new safety regulations for commercial fishing industry fishing vessels.  The Notice includes a good history of the Coast Guard’s attempts to oversee the safety of the commercial fishing fleet.

They are available for download here.  Public comment is due by July 29, 2008.

I wrote an earlier post about this case, here. 

Prof. Shaun Martin of California Appellate Report has some interesting analysis about the opinon.

The Ninth Circuit just affirmed the conviction and sentence for a Chinese sailor who killed a Taiwanese Captain and Chinese First Mate on a Seychelles-flagged, Taiwan-owned fishing vessel sailing on the high seas.  USA v. Lei Shi, No. 06-10389.

Disclosure:  At the time of this incident, I was a Judge Advocate with the…

In a very interesting case, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals just held that U.S. vessels documented with a fishery endorsement, but operating under a registry endorsement are not “fishing vessels” for the purposes of the Shark Fin Prohibition Act.   

A Hong Kong company chartered a Hawaii-based, U.S. documented vessel, King Diamond II…

The Ninth Circuit just issued its opinion in the case of Trans-Tec Asia v. M/V Harmony Container, No. 06-55355 setting forth its conclusion that vendors providing necessaries to foreign vessels in foreign ports have a maritime lien under the Federal Maritime Lien Act. 

This case has a thorough treatment of the history of maritime…

A California Senator is proposing to require peace officers onboard cruise ships visiting California.  These "ocean rangers" would be onboard to to monitor (prevent?) pollution and/or serious crimes while the ship is in California’s "marine waters."  A copy of the bill is available here. 

Novel idea.  My quick read showed some issues – most…

The Coast Guard announced that it is expanding its Biometrics program to the Florida Straits. 

Per the Coast Guard: 

Since the program began in November 2006, it has collected biometric data from 1,526 migrants, prosecuted 118 of those migrants.  Migrant interdictions in the Mona Pass were down 50% between FY 2006 and FY 2007.

"As we expand use of this valuable tool, we are helping to close the door on those risking their lives and the lives of others to enter our country illegally," said US-VISIT Director Robert Mocny. "Because biometrics are so reliable, we are able to prosecute more illegal migrants and migrant smugglers to help deter others from attempting such dangerous voyages."

This information‑sharing effort between US‑VISIT and the Coast Guard uses mobile biometric technology –fingerprints and photographs– to identify illegal migrants who are apprehended while attempting to enter the United States through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and now, the Florida Straits.

Under the program, the Coast Guard digitally collects fingerprints and photographs from illegal migrants apprehended at sea, and then uses satellite technology to immediately compare the migrants’ information against US‑VISIT databases, which includes information about wanted criminals, immigration violators and those who have previously encountered government authorities.