This report includes data about United States Coast Guard response activities. The Coast Guard responds to maritime casualties and disastrous events. They also respond to violations of U.S. federal and international law. These data include search and rescue, pollution cleanup, and migrant, drug, and fishing violations.
About This Report
The tables below are in the data file. We also have a report file that explains more about the data and shows examples of how to use the data.
Drug Interdiction
The Coast Guard denies drug smugglers access to maritime routes. They also deter trafficking activity. The Coast Guard shares drug intelligence with and assists foreign partners and other government agencies.
Migrant Interdiction
The Coast Guard prevents unlawful entry into the United States. They prevent migrants and transnational smugglers from using maritime routes. Migrants use maritime routes through the Caribbean, off the coast of southern California, and occasionally through the Gulf of Mexico.
Search and Rescue
The Coast Guard aids people in distress and protects property in the maritime environment. Their goal is to reduce injury, loss of life, and property damage.
Fishery Boarding
The Coast Guard boards commercial, recreational, and charter fishing vessels to enforce laws. These laws govern marine resource conservation and management.
Pollution Cleanup
The Coast Guard responds to unintentional or intentional pollution incidents. These include oil discharges and hazardous substance releases in U.S. waters.
Data Fields and Definitions
| Data Field | Example | Description | Table(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area | Atlantic | Global geographic areas of responsibility | All |
| District | Five | Regional geographic areas of responsibility | All |
| COTP Zone | Boston | Local geographic areas of responsibility | Search and Rescue, Fishery Boarding |
| Fiscal Year | 2023 | Begins on October 1st of the previous calendar year | All |
| Month | June | Gregorian calendar | All except Search and Rescue Outcome |
| Cases | 50 | Distinct count of a unique identifier in the MISLE system | Search and Rescue Cases, Fishery Boarding, Pollution Cleanup |
| Quantity | 1,000 | Sum of the unit of measure for all applicable cases | Drug Interdiction, Search and Rescue Outcome |
| Drug Type | Cocaine | Controlled substance | Drug Interdiction |
| Disposition | Seizure | Status of physical custody of the drug | Drug Interdiction |
| Nationality | Haiti | The status of belonging to a particular nation | Migrant Interdiction |
| Authority | Domestic Fisheries Law Enforcement | The Coast Guard authority to conduct the boarding | Fishery Boarding |
| Vessel Use | Commercial | The primary purpose for the vessel | Fishery Boarding |
| Violation Action | Written Warning Issued | The law enforcement action taken | Fishery Boarding |
| Fishery Type | (Gulf of Mexico) Shrimp | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fishery | Fishery Boarding |
| Substance Type | Oil | Categorical classification of the pollutant: oil, chemical, and other | Pollution Cleanup |
| CHRIS Code | ODS | Three-digit Chemical Hazard Response Information System (CHRIS) code for the pollutant | Pollution Cleanup |
Coast Guard Areas
| Area | District | Sector/Marine Inspection Zone/Captain of the Port (COTP) Zone | Subordinate Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | District 1 | Boston | |
| Northern New England | |||
| Southeastern New England | |||
| New York | |||
| Long Island | |||
| District 5 | Delaware Bay | ||
| Virginia | |||
| Maryland – National Capital Region | |||
| North Carolina | |||
| District 7 | Miami | ||
| Charleston | Savannah Marine Safety Unit | ||
| Jacksonville | |||
| San Juan | |||
| St. Petersburg | |||
| Key West | |||
| District 8 | Outer Continental Shelf Marine Inspection Zone | ||
| Mobile | |||
| New Orleans | Houma Marine Safety Unit | ||
| Houston-Galveston | Port Arthur Marine Safety Unit | ||
| Corpus Christi | |||
| Upper Mississippi | |||
| Lower Mississippi | |||
| Ohio Valley | Pittsburg Marine Safety Unit | ||
| District 9 | Eastern Great Lakes | ||
| Lake Michigan | |||
| Detroit | |||
| Northern Great Lakes | Duluth Marine Safety Unit | ||
| None | Activities Europe Marine Inspection Zone | ||
| Pacific | District 11 | Los Angeles – Long Beach | |
| San Diego | |||
| San Francisco Bay Marine Inspection Zone and COTP Zone | |||
| Sector San Francisco | |||
| Sector Humboldt Bay | Humboldt Bay Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Zone | ||
| District 13 | Puget Sound | ||
| Columbia River | |||
| District 14 | Honolulu | ||
| Guam | |||
| Activities Far East Marine Inspection Zone | |||
| District 17 | Southeast Alaska | ||
| Sector Anchorage | |||
| Western Alasta Marine Inspection Zone and COTP Zone | |||
| Prince William Sound Marine Inspection Zone and COTP Zone |
Methodology
Data Source
The Marine Information for Safety and Law Enforcement (MISLE) captures Coast Guard data. Coast Guard personnel use MISLE to schedule and record operational activities. Personnel enter search and rescue and pollution response data as the incident unfolds. They enter most data on vessel boardings, inspections, and investigations after action completion.
Date
Data are as of September 17, 2024.
Data Processing
We round each row of data in this report to the nearest 10 to protect privacy and security. As a result, the data in this report can vary a lot from the actual totals when we total the rounded rows. To show the size of these differences, we include the actual aggregated totals for each fiscal year in the “fiscal_year_total” table in the data file.
Units of Measure
| Table | Unit of Measure | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Drug Interdiction | Kilograms | Weight of drug seized or disrupted |
| Migrant Interdiction | Migrants | Number of migrants interdicted |
| Search and Rescue | Cases | Number of events responded to. An event may have multiple people requiring assistance and multiple USCG assets involved in the response. |
| Search and Rescue Outcome | Lives | Number of people with the associated outcome. This unit applies to the oucomes related to human lives. |
| Search and Rescue Octcome | U.S. Dollars | Value of propery with the associated outcome. This unit applies to the outcomes related to property. |
| Fishery Boarding | Vessels | Number of vessels boarded |
| Pollution Cleanup | Cases | Number of events responded to for the associated substance. If an event has multiple substances it will be reported multiple times. |
