A 23-year old man has lost his life running a fish tender on the Yukon River in Alaska. A 32-foot fish tender loaded with fish capsized late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. Only one crewman, Gerald Minock, was aboard the vessel at the time of the accident. Minock was reportedly working for Boreal Fisheries, which owned the vessel. Boreal is a fish buyer operating out of St. Mary's on the lower river. Witnesses speculate Minock was returning to the dock, and the vessel may have been overloaded with fish. When Minock failed to timely return, a search discovered the overturned skiff and Minock's body about four miles away from the dock.

Overloading of vessels can lead to loss of stability and capsizing of even a large vessel. Making sure a vessel is properly loaded is critical to crew safety. Crewmen running tendering skiffs may be classified as Jones Act seamen under Federal Maritime law. Tendering vessels are typically not required to be inspected by the Coast Guard and have only minimal safety requirements. Investigation into Minock's death is ongoing.