Commercial Fishing Safety on the West Coast
An image with a Dungeness crab vessel loaded with pots in the foreground and the Yaquina Bay Bridge in the background. Photo by NIOSH
Trends in Commercial Fishing Fatalities
During the 20-year period 2000–2019, 141 deaths due to traumatic injury occurred in West Coast fisheries. While year-to-year fluctuations occurred, the annual number of fatalities has generally declined over these two decades.
(Source: NIOSH Commercial Fishing Incident Database)
West Coast Commercial Fishing Fatalities, 2000-2019 (n=141)
| Decade | Annual Average |
|---|---|
| 2000-2009 | 8.5 |
| 2010-2019 | 5.6 |
Quick Stats
| Fatalities by Incident Type | Top Three Causes of Death | Fisheries with the Most Fatalities |
|---|---|---|
| Vessel Disaster (90, 64%) | Drowning (126, 89%) | Dungeness Crab (44, 31%) |
| Fall Overboard (31, 22%) | Blunt Force Trauma (6, 4%) | Salmon Setnet (17, 12%) |
| Onboard Fatality (9, 6%) | Embolism (3, 2%) | |
| Diving Fatality (8, 6%) | ||
| Onshore Fatality (3, 2%) |
Research Highlights
Summary of fishing fatalities on the West Coast
Injuries and Fatalities among West Coast Dungeness crab fishermen
Fatalities in California, Oregon, and Washington Fisheries
PFDs that Work: Dungeness Crabbers
See more research from the West Coast and beyond on our Publications page.