Commercial Fishing Safety on the East Coast
A close up photo of three New Bedford commercial fishing boats tied up at the dock. Photo by NIOSH.
Trends in Commercial Fishing Fatalities
During 2000–2019, 288 commercial fishing deaths due to traumatic injury occurred on the East Coast. While the annual average of deaths was lower in the second decade than the first, there was an overall stable trend in fatalities over the entire 20-year period.
(Source: NIOSH Commercial Fishing Incident Database)
East Coast Commercial Fishing Fatalities, 2000-2019 (n=288)
| Decade | Annual Average |
|---|---|
| 2000-2009 | 16.5 |
| 2010-2019 | 12.3 |
Quick Stats
| Fatalities by Incident Type | Top Three Causes of Death | Fisheries with the Most Fatalities |
|---|---|---|
| Vessel Disaster (143, 50%) | Drowning (234, 81%) | Scallop Dredge (53, 18%) |
| Fall Overboard (77, 27%) | Blunt Force Trauma (22, 8%) | Lobster (36, 13%) |
| Onboard Fatality (42, 15%) | Unintentional Overdose (16, 6%) | Multi-Species Groundfish Trawl (32, 11%) |
| Onshore Fatality (14, 5%) | ||
| Diving Fatality (12, 4%) |
Research Highlights
Fishing Safety Success Story: Man, This Could Be It
Recovery of Chemical Munitions at Sea
Dangers of Entanglement During Lobstering
See more research from the East Coast and beyond on our Publications page.