The Deadliest Catch

Dungeness crab

Photo: George Brown Goode / NOAA / Wikimedia Commons

related articles

Commercial fishing is among the deadliest occupations in the United States, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis.

From 2000 to 2006, the incidence of death by fishing was 115 in 100,000 – 28 times the U.S. average. (Of course, office jobs are rarely deadly, so the average will be skewed low by all the cubicle-bound millions.)

What's more, the Pacific off California, Washington or Oregon is the deadliest water, with a rate of death two times the average (238 deaths per 100,000) for the average fisherman. And still more dangerous is the shellfish industry, with a rate of death more than three times the commercial fishing average (362 deaths per 100,000). Among shellfish industry, the Northwest Dungeness crab is truly the most dangerous catch, with a death rate about four times the commercial fishing average (463 per 100,000).

"Although Alaska's Bering Sea crab fishery has been described as the most dangerous fishery," the CDC reported, "data from this analysis indicate that the Northwest Dungeness crab fleet had a greater number of fatalities and a higher fatality rate during 2000-2006."

From the CDC report:

"During the 1990s, safety interventions in Alaska fisheries were followed by declines in that state's commercial fishing fatality rates. To assess the need for similar safety improvements in the other three Pacific Coast states, CDC analyzed data on commercial fishing fatalities from California, Oregon, and Washington during 2000-2006. The results of that analysis indicated that the three states combined had an average annual commercial fishing fatality rate of 238 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) fishermen, approximately double the fishing fatality rate nationwide during the same period. CDC also determined that safety equipment (e.g., immersion suits or life rafts) had not been used adequately in these fatal events, and that the Northwest Dungeness crab fishery had the highest fatality rate of any fishery located off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. To reduce fatalities among the Pacific Coast commercial fishermen at greatest risk, additional prevention measures tailored to the Northwest Dungeness crab fishery should be considered. ...

"During 2000-2006, a total of 58 commercial fishing fatalities were reported from Oregon (21 [36%]), California (20 [34%]), and Washington (17 [29%]). The number of fatalities, by year, during 2000-2006 was as follows: 2000 (eight), 2001 (seven), 2002 (10), 2003 (eight), 2004 (10), 2005 (five), and 2006 (10). All 58 decedents were male; mean age was 39 years. Forty-three (74%) of the fatalities resulted from the loss (i.e., capsizing or sinking) of 23 fishing vessels, 11 (19%) resulted from persons falling overboard, and four (7%) resulted from other incidents involving deck injuries or diving injuries.

"Among the 43 fatalities that resulted from vessel loss, weather conditions were a contributing factor in 34 deaths (79%); other contributing factors included large waves (17 [40%]), flooding (16 [37%]), and vessel instability (11 [26%]) (Table 1). Among the 11 deaths that resulted from falling overboard, none of the persons wore a personal flotation device. Contributing factors in these deaths included being alone (six deaths [55%]), slipping or tripping (six [55%]), gear entanglement (three [27%]), wet or slippery deck (three [27%]), and alcohol or drug use by a decedent (three [27%]).

"None of the 43 persons whose deaths resulted from vessel loss were able to enter a functional life raft. In 12 (28%) of the fatalities, no life raft was aboard the vessel; however, seven of those deaths were among fishermen aboard skiffs that were too small to carry a life raft. Other life raft complications included malfunctioning (12 [28%]) and inability to reach a raft (9 [21%]). ...

"The highest number of fatalities (23 [40%]) was reported from the shellfish fishery (including 17 from the Northwest Dungeness crab fleet), followed by salmon and other pelagic fisheries (15 [26%]) and the groundfish fishery (10 [17%]). Type of fishery was not identified for 10 fatalities.

"The average annual number of FTE fishermen in the three states was 2,706. This number included annual averages of 828 in the shellfish fisheries (including 524 in the Northwest Dungeness crab fleet), 1,084 in the salmon and other pelagic fisheries, and 794 in the groundfish fisheries. The average annual fatality rate for all fisheries in the three-state area during 2000-2006 was 238 deaths per 100,000 FTE fishermen. The shellfish fishery had the highest average annual fatality rate (362 deaths per 100,000 FTE fishermen); within that fishery, the rate for the Northwest Dungeness crab fleet was higher still (463 deaths per 100,000 FTE fishermen). The salmon and other pelagic fisheries had a fatality rate of 132 deaths per 100,000 FTE fishermen, and the groundfish fisheries had a rate of 72 deaths per 100,000 FTE fishermen. ...

"Commercial fishing has long been associated with high fatality rates; however, this report is the first to identify the most hazardous Pacific Coast fisheries outside of Alaska. The findings reveal that, during 2000-2006, the average annual fatality rate for commercial fishing deaths reported from California, Oregon, and Washington was approximately double the national fishing fatality rate of 115 deaths per 100,000 workers (1) and also double the Alaska rate of 107 per 100,000 FTE fishermen during the same period (CDC, unpublished data, 2008)."

COMMENTS ()