April 5, 2016 — Being a commercial fisherman is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and the ocean off New England is the deadliest in the country. The fatality rate in its groundfishing and scalloping fisheries surpasses even Alaska’s “Deadliest Catch” crab fishery.
“People often don’t realize that, and even if they do, they might not understand the scope,” said J.J. Bartlett, the president and CEO of a nonprofit group called Fishing Partnership Support Services. “An example that I use is that if public schoolteachers in Massachusetts died at the same rate as our Northeast ground fisherman, over 400 schoolteachers would die on the job every year.”
The nonprofit group has trained nearly 3,000 fishermen since it started safety training for fishermen in 2005. It offers about 10 sessions a year across New England, recruiting instructors from various companies and organizations involved in fishing safety and equipment.
The sesssions cover a wide variety of safety lessons and skills, including plugging leaks, putting out fires, wearing inflatable immersion suits and shooting flares.
“You don’t want to be doing this stuff for the first time when you’re out on the water,” said safety instructor Luis Catala at a training in Hyannis in October. “This is a great chance for them to practice and learn.”