The Taki-Tooo tragedy.

Byline: The Register-Guard

One moment they were 19 blissfully unaware souls - mostly fathers, sons and grandfathers - eagerly setting off on a day-long bottomfishing excursion off the Oregon Coast.

The next moment they were engaged in a desperate struggle for their lives in frigid, turbulent waters after a large wave capsized their 32-foot charter fishing boat, the Taki-Tooo, as it crossed the shallow and treacherous bar just outside the inlet to Tillamook Bay.

At least nine people died in the Saturday morning accident; two more are missing and presumed dead in a tragedy that raises serious safety concerns.

More than a dozen members of the National Transportation Safety Board, assisted by Coast Guard officials, are expected to spend the next week investigating the accident. As investigators piece together the details, they should pay special heed to several critical issues, including the increasing dangers to vessels created by recent federal cutbacks in funding for the dredging of small ports along this nation's coastlines.

While investigators may never know for certain if the deteriorating jetties around Tillamook Bay played a role in the Taki-Tooo capsizing, the accident should prompt the Bush administration and Congress to reverse the recent elimination of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funding for the dredging of small ports and waterways across the nation.

Much of the opposition to those budget cuts has focused on the economic impacts to rural communities whose well-being hinges on the maintenance of safe, accessible ports. Without federally subsidized dredging, the entrance channels to many ports will be closed to commercial shipping and fishing vessels within a few years.

But the Taki-Tooo accident also highlights safety concerns. Federal funding for port dredging has declined sharply in recent years, causing dangerous, even deadly conditions. As deposits of sand and mud build up at port entrances, vessels run an increasing risk of fatal accidents - and Coast Guard vessels find it difficult to protect commercial and recreational boaters.

Investigators should also examine the adequacy of U.S. Coast Guard safety inspections of charter boats. Investigators said maintenance had been performed on the Taki Tooo's throttle shortly before the accident, and the boat had a history of violations with the Coast Guard. While it's unclear what, if any, of the violations played a role in the disaster, there are an estimated 125 licensed charter boat operators in Oregon, and NTSB officials should make certain that all charter boats receive thorough annual inspections - and that the results of those inspections are followed up on routine basis.

The Taki Tooo incident also raises concerns about the lack of laws concerning the wearing of life jackets by charter passengers. Charter boats are required to have enough life preservers on hand for all passengers, but there are no laws requiring that they actually be worn. A deckhand who survived the capsizing says she offered life jackets to the passengers minutes before the disaster and that all declined, raising the question of how many of the drowned passengers might have survived had they been wearing life jackets. After the ship washed ashore, investigators found at least a half dozen life jackets, tangled and snared in the boat's side railings.

Finally, there is reason to take a hard look at the judgment of Taki Tooo's captain, who shrugged off posted warnings about conditions on the treacherous bar, and ended up being among those who died. It's no secret that some charter boat captains venture out in questionable conditions, driven in part by pressure from customers and by the need to make ends meet in a tough economy. Given this reality, the Coast Guard should have the authority to prohibit charter boats from setting out in severe conditions.

More than anything else, the Taki Tooo tragedy serves as a haunting reminder of the limitless power and unpredictably of the sea - and the vulnerability of all who sail upon it.