Research Technical Report

Damage Assessment and Site Characterization of the Rocky Shore Following the Grounding and Recovery of the F/V Lou Denny Wayne

Lonhart, S., and E. Burton (February 2008)

MBNMS Technical Report, 19pp.

ABSTRACT

On November 29, 2007 at approximately 0130 hours the F/V LOU DENNY WAYNE (hereafter LDW) ran aground one mile south of Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California (Figs. 1, 2). Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, in close coordination with NOAA (the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary), the Office of Spill Prevention and Response (California Department of Fish and Game) and the San Mateo County Sheriff Department, worked with Parker Diving to remove the diesel fuel on board the LDW since it was considered a substantial threat to the environment. The vessel owner estimated up to 600 gallons of diesel fuel was on board the vessel at the time of the incident and an estimated 370 gallons of diesel fuel were recovered from the LDW.

Research staff from the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) made several visits to the grounding site of the LDW. The initial visit occurred at 0830 on November 30, 2007. Tidal conditions during the initial visit were not optimal for a research survey. Plans were subsequently made to revisit the site during low (or minus) tides to better access the wreck and impacted area. Second and third visits by research staff were made on December 6 and December 22, 2007, seven and twenty-three days after the incident, respectively. The goal of these latter two visits was to assess the status of natural resources (both biological and geological) within and adjacent to the grounding site of the LDW.

The purpose of this report is to summarize research methods, observations and general findings.

For more information, see the SIMoN project page at: https://sanctuarysimon.org/dbtools/project-database/index.php?ID=100339