According to the 2007 annual report of the US Department of Labour commercial fishing is still America’s most dangerous occupation. It is said that last year fishermen had the highest on-the-job death rate at nearly 112 per 100,000 workers — 36 times greater than the rate for all other occupations. One-third (327) of all work-related deaths that took place in Alaska during 1990-2007 were fishermen.
The report also revealed that commercial fishing in the U.S. employs 80,000 to 160,000 fishermen on 80,000 vessels. It is also said that a further breakdown by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health shows that one-third of all fishing fatalities come from falling overboard; 8 percent are from deck injuries. There is no doubt that fishing-related deaths represented less than 1 percent of last year’s 5,488 total occupational fatalities, down 6 percent from the previous year.
Besides fishing loggers jobs were second most dangerous with 85 on-the-job deaths reported. The third most deadliest occupation was iron and steel workers at 45.5 deaths on the job. The report also revealed that commercial fishing in the US is not only deadliest but more profitable also.
