Behind the timber industry, commercial fishing represents that greatest threat to worker safety in the United States. With a fatality rate of 71-per-100,000, fishermen and other members of sea crews face constant threats from a number of sources.

For starters, there’s the setting. A great deal of fishing is done in stormy, freezing conditions hundreds of miles from shore. The Alaskan crabbing industry is a perfect example. Ice in the Bering Sea can be so thick that it capsizes the boat, and workers must grapple with swinging steel cages that weigh hundred of pounds a piece. In the 1990’s, this particular field alone was responsible for 400 deaths per 100,000 workers.

Compounding the issue is the pressure that fishing crews feel to haul in a good load. Most seasons in dangerous waters last only three or four weeks, so all involved are in a frenzy to catch as much as they can, as fast as they can. In fact, when the getting is good, a commercial fisherman can rake in as much as $1,000 in a single day.

Apart from cages and nets, other common pieces of equipment and conditions that can inflict damage include:

• Winches and ropes

• Vacuum hoses

• Unsafe docks (slippery, worn-out wood, for example)

• Reckless behavior of fellow workers

• Boat collisions

Contact Us

If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a fishing industry accident and you think another party’s negligence may have played a role, or if you are being denied your fair share of compensation by an insurance agency, contact the experienced Chicago boating accident attorneys at the law offices of Friedman and Bonebrake, P.C., today by calling 312-466-8200 for help during this difficult time.