WASHINGTON, DC (March 21, 2009) – COMMERCIAL fishing is by far the country’s most dangerous occupation. Taking 112 lives per 100,000 workers each year, it easily outstrips the second worst killer, logging, which kills 86. Fishing would be less deadly if the Coast Guard could mandate safety examinations of fishing vessels before they leave the dock, but fiercely independent fishermen have resisted attempts at this. It is high time for the industry and the Coast Guard to sit down and agree on a safety program that could save lives without creating costly or cumbersome hurdles.
A bill granting the Coast Guard the explicit authority to do mandatory dockside examinations was attached to the service’s budget authorization last year. It passed the House overwhelmingly, but the Senate never approved similar legislation, leaving the safety provision high and dry. Under the House proposal, Coast Guard officers could examine fishing vessels at least twice in each five-year period.
The bill would also require a training program for the operators of fishing boats, though it would allow some credit for past experience. The bill calls for two grant programs, one for the training and another for research on fishing safety.
Read the Boston Globe opinion in full via the Coast Guard Commandant’s official blog