Tag Archives: commercial fishing fatalities
To honor our lost fishermen, we must act
Every time a Coast Guard crew embarks on a rescue mission to a commercial fishing vessel, we all want the same outcome – a successful rescue and safe return to shore. Maine communities know too well those outcomes vary. We rescued four fishermen in November 2018 after the Aaron & Melissa II sank 50 miles south of Rockland. Two years later, last November, we lost four fishermen when the Emmy Rose sank northeast of Provincetown. And a year ago this Saturday, Joe Nickerson and Christopher Pinkham perished when the Hayley Ann sank 47 miles southeast of Cape Elizabeth. >click to read< 08:14 More lobstermen in New England are wearing life jackets while they work – >click to read<
Lifejackets for Lobstermen Project works to get PFDs on every fisherman
From 2000-2016, the Centers for Disease Control charted 204 commercial fishing fatalities from falls overboard. None of the fishermen recovered were wearing a lifejacket, and 108 of the fishermen’s bodies were never found, according to a report of the Lifejacket Project, which was launched to identify solutions and increase fishermen’s interest in wearing lifejackets. In its recently published, 20-page summary report, the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing chronicles stories from the Lifejackets for Lobstermen Project and provides examples of the fishing community’s interest and engagement with the project. >click to read< 05:46
NIOSH regional reports highlight top dangers in commercial fishing industry
Vessel disasters and falls overboard are the primary hazards experienced by workers in commercial fishing – an industry with a fatality rate 29 times higher than the national average – according to a recent NIOSH analysis of four U.S. regions. NIOSH reviewed overall commercial fishing fatalities in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, and the East and West Coasts from 2010 to 2014. Researchers found that 184 fatalities occurred in the four regions: Alaska recorded 45, the West Coast had 30, the East Coast reported 60 and the Gulf of Mexico experienced 49. Vessel disasters (capsizes, fires, groundings, sinking) accounted for the most deaths with 80, followed by falls overboard with 53. Other categories included onboard, onshore and diving. click here to read the story 23:24
Family and friends are depending on you to come back alive. By Jerry Druzan
It’s time to take a mid-season time out. Maybe not a long one, just a few minutes to think about what we’re doing. The Bristol Bay run is strong and running long. Anecdotally, six small vessels have swamped in the Bay due to weather and overloading, fortunately with no loss of life. Alaska commercial fishing has already seen nine fatalities in the first half of 2017. Alaska has not seen this many fatalities within the first half of the year in 13 years. Since July 1, we have had two more fatalities this time in Prince William Sound and in Ugashik Bay. In Alaska, commercial fishing fatalities have been averaging about five per year for the past five years. Alaska commercial fishermen should be rightfully proud of the more than 76% decrease in deaths since the 1980s, but 2017 is experiencing a significant increase in fatalities. Now is a good time to take a few minutes and think about how we can further reduce risks to our vessels and crews. Following are some items to focus on: click here to read the op-ed 12:39
