TomFF
03-12-2003, 09:47 PM
The front page of USA Today carried this article. I thought about posting it on the engineering thread but thought that might just muddy the waters there. So here are some parts from USA TOday (http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030312/4938157s.htm)
"The plight of the nation's fishermen worsens. They work in the country's most dangerous profession at a time when the Coast Guard is focusing more on homeland security than on safety, marine experts say. Most earn low wages in an industry beset by declining fish prices, overfished waters and shortened fishing seasons.
About 152 of every 100,000 fishermen and women are killed on the job, say the U.S. Labor Department's latest statistics. That's the highest fatality rate of any occupation, slightly higher than the rate of loggers and more than nine times the rate of firefighters and police officers.......
Most fishermen killed on the job drown or succumb to hypothermia in the water after a boat sinks or capsizes or after they fall overboard. Bad weather and rough seas are often factors.
According to Coast Guard statistics and safety experts, boats tip or sink for various reasons, including bad weather and rough seas, flooding, fire, improper loading, mechanical problems, poor maintenance, poor design or a navigational error. Falls overboard may result from a wave, a misstep, a slippery boat deck, entanglement in fishing equipment or even alcohol abuse....
Economic pressures have caused fishermen to stay at sea to increase their catch, despite bad weather or the need for boat repairs.
Fishermen say designated time periods for catching particular species, agreed on by government and industry for conservation reasons, can also compromise safety. ''Fishermen don't want to miss one single day,'' says marine engineer Harold Gray. ''If there's bad weather or a mechanical problem when you're out on the water, you live with it.''
For many years, large boat operators have pointed the finger at small boats -- those 44 feet or less in length -- as the source of the industry's safety problems. But USA TODAY's analysis shows that large boats, which are up to 239 feet long, were involved in 52% of the fatalities. Boats at least 79 feet long accounted for nearly 20% of all deaths. Safety experts say there is a much larger number of small fishing boats, but a greater number of fishermen usually die in accidents involving large boats."
"The plight of the nation's fishermen worsens. They work in the country's most dangerous profession at a time when the Coast Guard is focusing more on homeland security than on safety, marine experts say. Most earn low wages in an industry beset by declining fish prices, overfished waters and shortened fishing seasons.
About 152 of every 100,000 fishermen and women are killed on the job, say the U.S. Labor Department's latest statistics. That's the highest fatality rate of any occupation, slightly higher than the rate of loggers and more than nine times the rate of firefighters and police officers.......
Most fishermen killed on the job drown or succumb to hypothermia in the water after a boat sinks or capsizes or after they fall overboard. Bad weather and rough seas are often factors.
According to Coast Guard statistics and safety experts, boats tip or sink for various reasons, including bad weather and rough seas, flooding, fire, improper loading, mechanical problems, poor maintenance, poor design or a navigational error. Falls overboard may result from a wave, a misstep, a slippery boat deck, entanglement in fishing equipment or even alcohol abuse....
Economic pressures have caused fishermen to stay at sea to increase their catch, despite bad weather or the need for boat repairs.
Fishermen say designated time periods for catching particular species, agreed on by government and industry for conservation reasons, can also compromise safety. ''Fishermen don't want to miss one single day,'' says marine engineer Harold Gray. ''If there's bad weather or a mechanical problem when you're out on the water, you live with it.''
For many years, large boat operators have pointed the finger at small boats -- those 44 feet or less in length -- as the source of the industry's safety problems. But USA TODAY's analysis shows that large boats, which are up to 239 feet long, were involved in 52% of the fatalities. Boats at least 79 feet long accounted for nearly 20% of all deaths. Safety experts say there is a much larger number of small fishing boats, but a greater number of fishermen usually die in accidents involving large boats."