Commercial Fishing Still The Deadliest Job In The U.S. Northeastern Fishermen Have The Deadliest Jobs Of All.
Commercial fishing is the deadliest occupation in the country, with a fatality rate about 60 times higher than the average rate for all workers. And, commercial fishermen in the Northeast of the United States have the deadliest jobs of all.
According to a new report recently released by the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the most dangerous commercial fishing is done off New England and the Mid-Atlantic states for groundfish and scallops. The report covered the period from 2000 to 2009 and looked at individual fisheries. During that time period, 504 commercial fishermen lost their lives on-the-job.
The Northeast groundfishery had the highest fatality rate of 600 deaths per 100,000 full-time employees. It is followed by the Atlantic scallop fleet with 425 deaths per 100,000 full-time employees. The Bering Sea Aleutian Island crab fishery which is featured in the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” had a death rate of 260 per 100,000 full-time employees over the same time period.
An average of 58 commercial fishermen a year died in occupational accidents over the 10-year period.
Although the death rate in the Northeast is highest, more commercial fishing deaths occurred in Alaska. Ninety-seven percent of victims were male. The average age at death was 41.
According to the CDC, the commercial fishing fatality rate has been declining since 1992.
Fishing is an inherently dangerous; fishermen work on slippery decks in every type of weather, their equipment is heavy, and they are under pressure to maximize their catch in the limited fishing season.
