Fishers

Fishers work long hours under conditions that are often dangerous and difficult. Lookout watches—usually six hours long—are a regular duty for crew members, who must be prepared to perform this job day or night. Hauling fish on board takes great physical strength and endurance, and the work can be exhausting. Fishers work in all kinds of weather and sometimes spend months at sea in cramped quarters. Some fishers work all year, while others work only in certain seasons when certain fish can be caught.

"Commercial fishing is one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States with a fatality rate 39 times higher than the national average," according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Fishers are at high risk for on-the-job injury and even death. Fishing boats do go down every year, sometimes killing everyone on board. The NIOSH reports that 878 commercial fishermen died while fishing in the U.S. from 2000 to 2019. Forty-seven percent of all fatalities occurred after a vessel disaster, 30 percent of fatalities occurred when a fisherman fell overboard, 14 percent of fatalities resulted from an injury onboard, and 9 percent of fatalities occurred while diving or from onshore injuries.