Fishing Boat Runs Aground on Catalina Island

LOS ANGELES COUNTY -- A 62-foot commercial fishing boat with eight people aboard ran aground on the east end of Catalina Island today.

According to U.S. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach, the Pacific Knight vessel ran aground about 2 a.m. A ``good Samaritan'' fishing vessel and Baywatch Avalon both responded to the scene.

One person from the grounded fishing vessel was taken by Baywatch to Avalon for treatment of mild hypothermia, Coast Guard officials said. The other seven people aboard the vessel were transferred to the good Samaritan ship and taken to San Pedro.

The Coast Guard established a 300-yard safety zone around the grounded ship, which was in 10 feet of water by late Friday morning. The ship can carry up to 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel, but it was unclear if any of it spilled into the ocean.

Coast Guard officials said they were monitoring the situation, but said ``no wildlife impacts have been reported/observed at this time.''

The state Office of Spill Prevention and Response, a division of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, dispatched a team to the scene to determine the status of the vessel and any potential pollution threat.

``The amount of oil discharged is unknown at this time and under investigation,'' according to the OSPR.

It was still unclear what caused the ship to run aground.

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