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In 2000, 13 commercial fishermen were lost at sea off the northeast coast of America—nearly twice the number from the year before.
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From 1994 to 1998, 396 fishermen lost their lives in U.S. waters. In more than half of those deaths, the victim simply fell in the water or ended up in the water from a vessel sinking or capsizing.
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According to Patrick Dillon's Lost at Sea: An American Tragedy, during one 22-month period in the 1980s, 488 commercial vessels were lost and 240 fishermen died—more than a third of them in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. More than half of the deaths in Alaskan waters were caused by vessels capsizing.
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The Bering Sea is home to some of the most harrowing and unpredictable weather and ocean conditions on Earth. During the winter crabbing season when daylight is scarce, winds can reach hurricane forces, waves can become rough and steep, and ice fields can clog waterways.
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During the winter, boats in the Bering Sea can quickly be entombed by freezing spray. The ice adds tons of weight, making the ships unstable in the rolling sea.
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Crab fishers often ply the Bering Sea 24 hours a day in any weather during the winter crabbing season.
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The Anacortes, Washington, A-boats disaster, in which 14 men were lost in the Bering Sea, was the worst fishing disaster on record.
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During a five-year period in the 1990s, the occupational fatality rate for commercial fishers in Alaska was roughly 20 times the national average. The shellfish fishery (primarily crab) had the highest rate of the industry.
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The northeast command of the U.S. Coast Guard covers the North Atlantic from New Jersey to Maine, saving approximately 500 people a year.
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In 1985, the only survival gear required by many commercial fishing boats was a life jacket. A bill passed in the late 1980s now requires certain vessels to carry life rafts, survival suits, and emergency radio beacons.
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