Fishing boat sinks at San Francisco’s Hyde Road Pier, leaks oil into bay

A 34-foot fishing boat sank on Hyde Street Marina Pier in San Francisco on Wednesday morning, leaking oil and leaving a shine on the bay, the US Coast Guard said.

The U.S. Coast Guard received a report of the incident at 10 a.m., Lt. Junior Grade Martin Dzurik.

Three layers of the containment boom were deployed; The temporary floating barriers are used to contain an oil spill.

Dzurik said the coast guard was also using absorbent pads when an oil sheen was observed on the surface of the bay.

“We’re not sure how much oil was on board or how much leaked, but the maximum potential of diesel fuel on board the ship is 260 gallons,” said Dzurik.

The U.S. Coast Guard deployed oil booms when a fishing boat sank on Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco on October 6, 2021.

US Coast Guard

Larry Collins, president of the San Francisco Community Fishing Association, said it’s not entirely uncommon for a boat to sink.

“I wish it was more unusual,” said Collins.

Collins said he did not know why the boat went down, but said, “As limited as our seasons have been and so, a lot of people have a hard time and may not be maintaining the boats as usual.”

Collins said the fishing community has been hard hit by COVID-19 and the crab seasons that have been cut short in recent years to protect whales. Several of the past few seasons have also been influenced by concerns about the toxic domoic acid, which is sometimes found in crabs.

“When I started fishing in ’83 or ’84 there were 4,700 fishing boats,” said Collins. “It’s about 300 now. It’s a sad day for the guy who lost his boat.”

San Francisco’s commercial fishermen are fishing for salmon this month, with the season ending soon.