Commercial fishing vessel runs aground on Southern California’s Catalina Island

AVALON, Calif. (AP) — A commercial fishing vessel with eight people aboard ran aground on Catalina Island off the Southern California coast early Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The 62-foot (18.9-meter) vessel radioed a distress call around 2 a.m. after grounding on the island’s east end, and another fishing vessel and an island lifeguard boat responded, the Coast Guard’s Los Angeles/Long Beach sector said in a statement.

A crewmember suffering from mild hypothermia was taken to the island city of Avalon for medical treatment, and the other seven were transferred to the assisting fishing boat and brought to the mainland.

The grounded vessel appeared to be stable in 10 feet (3 meters) of water, the Coast Guard said.

The vessel was capable of carrying up to 2,500 gallons (9,464 liters) of diesel fuel and responding agencies were creating a plan to respond to any pollution, the Coast Guard said.

The cause of the grounding is under investigation.