The NIOSH Alaska field station collected and analyzed information on fishing-related fatalities that occurred during the 6-year period 1991-1996, including the location of the vessel, the fishery in which the vessel was operating, circumstances surrounding the incident, demographics of the victims, and survival equipment used [NIOSH 1997]. Fatalities were divided among different fisheries into three major areas: falls overboard, deck injuries (e.g., being crushed by crab pots or falling through hatchways), and vessel-related events (i.e., capsizings, sinkings, or missing vessels). Fatality rates were calculated for each type of fishery by estimating the full-time equivalent worker population of the fishery within which the vessel was operating at the time of the fatal event [CDC 1993; Rodgers et al. 1980; Focht 1986; NIOSH 1994a].
During 1991-1996, a total of 427
occupational fatalities occurred in Alaska. Commercial
fishermen made up 146 (34%) of these fatalities.
Given the mean full-time equivalent Alaska
commercial fishing workforce of 17,400 [CDC 1993;
NIOSH 1994], this is equivalent to a fatality rate of
140/100,000/year, 20 times the overall U.S. occupational fatality rate (7.0/100,000/year)
[NIOSH 1993]. This average fishing fatality rate
has considerable variation by fishery: shellfish (primarily crab) had the highest rate
among fisheries (356/100,000/year), followed by
herring (167/100,000/year), and halibut
(122/100,000/year) (Figure 1).
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Figure 1. Commercial Fishing Fatality Rates by Fishery— Alaska, 1991-1996.
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Fishing fatalities occur primarily during
the months when the greatest number of fishermen
are working, particularly in the near-shore
fisheries (e.g., salmon, herring and cod) from May-September (68, 47%). However, a peak
also occurs in November, January, and February
(56, 38%) when the winter crab fisheries are open in
the Bering Sea (Figure 2). Almost one-half of all
fatalities (70, 48%) occurred in the Bering
Sea, Southeast Alaska and the Aleutian/Pribilof
area (Figure 3).
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Figure 2. Fishing Fatalities by Month— Alaska, 1991-1996, n=146.
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Figure 3. Fishing Fatalities by Location— Alaska, 1991-1996, n=146.
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Most (128, 87%) of the deceased
fishermen drowned; were presumed drowned; and/or
died from hypothermia as a result of either vessel-related events (capsizings or sinkings) (92,
63%), falling overboard (31, 21%), or diving
incidents (5, 3%). Other victims died as a result of
deck injuries (e.g., crushed by crab pots, entangled
in winches). Of the 92 people who were killed in vessel-related events, most (44, 48%)
were participating in the shellfish fishery. Likewise,
of those who fell overboard and drowned, the
largest fishery-specific number of decedents (13,
42%) were also participating in the shellfish fishery.
The falling-overboard fatalities can be divided further into the reasons for the victims
being immersed in water: entanglement in a net or
line (9, 29%), unobserved fall (victim missing from
vessel) (8, 26%), observed fall (8, 26%), or
washed into the water (6, 19%) (Figure 4).
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Figure 4. Man Overboard Events by Circumstance— Alaska, 1991-1996, n=31.
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Of the 128 fishermen who drowned, almost half of them (60, 47%) were not wearing any type of personal flotation device (PFD) while 12 (9%) were. For 56 (44%) of those who died or are presumed dead, primarily those lost at sea with no body recovered, it is unknown whether they were wearing any type of PFD. Of fishermen involved in a fatal incident in which at least one other fisherman drowned, 55% of the survivors were wearing an immersion suit (a.k.a. survival suit). Of the 31 fishermen who died after falling overboard, none was wearing any type of PFD.
Just over one-half (51%) of the fishermen who died in Alaska from 1991-1996 were not year-round residents of Alaska. Many vessels and crew members come from Washington, Oregon, and California to fish in Alaskan waters.
The number of fatalities varied by fishery
(Figure 5). From 1991 to 1996, in the Alaskan crab fisheries, 30 fatal events resulted in 61 (42% of
all) fatalities. Forty-three percent (n=13) of
these incidents and 72% of the fatalities were
vessel-related, and the majority (62%) of the
vessels reportedly were operating in heavy weather conditions (defined as winds > 25 knots
and/or waves >15 feet). In the salmon fishery in
Alaska, 23 fatal events resulted in 26 fatalities. Eleven
of these incidents (14 fatalities) were
vessel-related, but most (73%) of the vessels were
reportedly sailing in moderately calm waters at the time of
the incident. Ten of these 26 salmon
fishing-related fatalities occurred after falling overboard, half
of them in calm waters. From 1991-1994, 6 fatal events resulted in 11 fatalities in the halibut
fishery in Alaska; all of these incidents were
vessel-related, and all occurred in heavy seas. No fatalities occurred in the halibut fishery in 1995
or 1996.
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Figure 5. Fishing Fatalities by Fishery— Alaska, 1991-1996, n=146.
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Diving fatalities are an emerging problem in Alaska's commercial fishing industry as five divers died while working during the study period. Three of these diving fatalities occurred among inexperienced divers attempting to untangle nets or lines that had snagged on the ocean floor or vessel propellers. The divers themselves became entangled in the nets or the lines and could not surface. Of the three victims, one was a newly certified recreational diver, another was reportedly experienced but not certified as a recreational diver, and the third also had no type of diving certification and very little experience. These divers were all using self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) equipment. The other two diving fatalities involved sea cucumber divers who drowned while diving. Both divers were using surface-supplied-air diving equipment.
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