Commercial fishing in the United States is without a doubt the most dangerous occupation to be found in the country. Between the period of 1992 and 2008, an average of 58 commercial fishermen lost their lives each year. In spite of its high profile on national television, the Bering Sea, Aleutian Island crab fishery isn’t the deadliest fishery in the United States.
Commercial Fishing Deaths in the United States, 2000-2009
A report on commercial fishing deaths was published recently in the July 16, 2010 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a public health publication distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Weather and fishing conditions in Alaska’s Bering Sea are extreme and the dangers of crab fishing there have been well documented. What might be a surprise to many is that there are several other fisheries in the country that claim more lives than crab fishing every year.
Researchers calculate annual fatality rates by normalizing data on a per capita basis. This is done by determining the total number of deaths per 100,000 full time equivalent (FTE) workers in the fishery. Data shows the most dangerous fishery as being the multispecies groundfish fishery conducted in the Northeast with a rate of some 600 deaths per 100,000 FTEs. Rates for the Atlantic scallop (425 deaths per 100,000) and West Coast Dungeness crab (310 deaths per 100,000) fisheries follow closely behind.
Alaska fisheries fare a little better. The state’s Bering Sea crab fisheries saw a rate of 260 deaths per 100,000 FTEs, while the halibut fleet suffered 130 deaths per 100,000 FTEs and the salmon fishery experienced 115 deaths for the same metric.
Cause of Death in Commercial Fishing Accidents
Factors that lead to fishing related fatalities vary by region. In the Gulf of Mexico, the shrimp fishery is plagued by falls overboard. Instability, gear snagging and collision pose the greatest risk to fishermen pursuing scallops in the Atlantic. Much of the trouble vessels have in the West Coast Dungeness fishery come from crossing ocean bars in severe weather.
Authors of this report for MMR, Dr. Jennifer Lincoln and Devin Lucas of the Alaska Pacific Regional Office of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Heath, point out some key safety concerns for commercial fishermen. Vessel incidents and falls overboard continue to be the leading risk factors for fishermen. The authors note that while vessels are required to carry life jackets for crew members, there are no laws in place to require they be worn. None of the people that died in fishing related incidents occurring between 2000 and 2009 were wearing a life jacket.
Many unique and effective steps have been made to improve the safety of commercial fishing. Efforts include carriage requirements for survival suits, installation of EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons), emergency engine kill switches and vessel safety inspections. While these are positive actions that should be taken, it is clear that wearing a life jacket continues to be a low tech, inexpensive and very effective way to improve safety at sea.
Alan Sorum - Alan Sorum is the Maritime Operations Project Manager for the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council (PWSRCAC). Alan is ...
