Congress this year may impose new construction standards on the nation’s fishing vessels, require training of skippers and mandate Coast Guard inspections in what would be the first major overhaul of the safety laws that regulate the nation’s deadliest occupation.
The big push for new safety legislation comes from a Midwestern congressman, Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., whose district is far from the major fishing ports. Oberstar chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which this month approved new regulation of the fishing industry.
The legislation has been under development for more than two years and is expected to go to the full House for a vote this summer.