Reverberations from the sinking of the Destination are being felt in the Seattle-based crabbing industry and beyond.
The Coast Guard issued a damning report Sunday, blaming the boat's owner and captain for the deadly disaster. One reason the Coast Guard cited was the weight of the crab pots.
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Jamie Goen, executive director of the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, says the sinking of the Destination deeply affected the entire fleet.
"When we have a loss like this in what I call 'our family,'" she said, "it affects everybody."
She says the 2017 sinking of the Destination and the loss of its entire six-man crew has already prompted the Coast Guard to institute safety checks before the vessels head out to sea.
"And what they're finding is on many vessels the pots weigh more than they did when the pots were originally built," said Goen. "That happens over the years from modifications to the gear. So then the Coast Guard also checks the stability reports."
Capt. Lee Boone, the Coast Guard's chief investigator flew to Seattle from Washington D.C. Sunday to make public a stunning report on the sinking of the Destination.
"The Coast Guard and fishing industry have already taken actions to improve safety," he insisted.
Boone said a lack of updated stability instructions, crab pots that were too heavy, a layer of ice all over the boat, too thick for a fatigued crew to remove and an open hatch led to the disaster.
"We know nothing in this report will bring back these six men," he said, "but we hope by using this report investigation, we can prevent another tragedy like this from happening again."
It is a hope Jamie Goen says the entire fleet of crabbers shares.
"It's definitely been heartfelt," Goen said. "We remember those people and we want to make sure we continue to improve the safety in this fishery."
She says this disaster is also a sobering reminder of the hazards these fishers endure to bring out of the sea the seafood that is iconic to this region and that so many love to eat.