At 5 am on Thursday morning, while participating in the fishery at Slocum Arm on Western Chichigof Island, the fishing vessel Evening Star rolled over while hauling in their seine that was loaded with salmon.

The fishing vessel Chickamene was nearby and plucked all five crewmen from the stricken vessel and transported them to Sitka.

The 50 foot vessel was carrying approximately 1,000 gallons of fuel when she capsized and sank in 300 foot of water.

The Coast Guard began an investigation of the sinking later Thursday.

Personnel from the Marine Safety Detachment in Juneau travelled to the scene aboard an Alaska State Trooper vessel, where they observed an oil sheen on the water. This prompted Fish and Game to announce an early closure to the fisheries taking place in Slocum Arm.

Monitoring at the scene is continueing. “We are working with the owner of the vessel mitigate the pollution on scene and salvage the vessel if possible,” said Lt. Ryan Erickson, Sector Juneau incident management division chief. “We thank the Chickamene crew for rescuing these five fishermen and bringing them to safety.”