NOAA SATELLITES PROVE CRITICAL IN FISHERMEN RESCUE

Jan. 15, 2004 — Three shrimp fishermen were pulled to safety Wednesday after their boat sank 15 miles east of Port Isabel, Texas. The fishermen used an emergency beacon to send out a distress signal, which was picked up by NOAA satellites, and relayed to the agency's Mission Control Center in Suitland, Md. (Click NOAA image for larger view of Cospas-Sarsat system overview.)

The staff at the center verified the signal, which came from an Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon or EPIRB, pinpointed the location of the fishermen's boat Dona Nelly, and notified the U.S. Coast Guard, which carried out the rescue.

The rescue operation was engineered by the international Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System (COSPAS-SARSAT.) Since SARSAT became operational in 1982, almost 17,000 lives have been saved worldwide, including more than 4,600 in the United States.

"The SARSAT system helped prevent an unfortunate mishap from becoming a deadly tragedy," said Ajay Mehta, the NOAA SARSAT program manager.

According to the Coast Guard, the fishermen suffered minor injuries and were being treated for shock. One fisherman still had the EPIRB clutched in his hands when he was rescued, Coast Guard officials said.

"It is a lucky thing that the Dona Nelly was equipped with proper life-saving equipment, including an EPIRB. It would have been nearly impossible to find them otherwise,” said Lt. J.G. Andrew Collinson, a Coast Guard spokesman.

Mehta added, "Anyone who sails a boat should have an EPIRB onboard and register it with us. It can be the difference between life and death.”

EPIRB owners and users of other emergency beacons can register their units online.

The NOAA Satellites and Information Service is the nation’s primary source of space-based meteorological and climate data. It operates the nation’s environmental satellites, which are used for weather and ocean observation and forecasting and climate monitoring.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA’s Role in the Cospas-Sarsat Program

NOAA Satellites and Information

International Cospas-Sarsat program

Media Contact:
John Leslie, NOAA Satellites and Information Service, (301) 457-5005