FROM THE CROWE'S NEST

The Cost Of Doing Business

   It is no wonder that commercial fishing is considered the most dangerous occupation that exists. The number of factors that contribute to accidents and deaths are probably higher on commercial fishing vessels than on any other job site. Contending with all of the known and sometimes controllable factors such as the condition of the vessels’ mechanical parts is one thing, but when you enter in the most unpredictable factor – the weather, that’s when it goes to hell in a hand basket.
   No matter how good the vessel and equipment are and how well your crew is trained in emergency measures, you can never control the weather. The sinking of the Andrea Gail and many other vessels lost at sea will attest to that fact. No captain would intentionally put his crew in harms way, but in the commercial fishing industry, the captain sometimes does not make that choice: Mother Nature makes it for him.
   On any typical fishing vessel, you not only have to face the possibility of changing weather, you also have a multitude of other factors. Almost every functioning part on a commercial vessel can turn against you in a heartbeat. Engine failure, hydraulic failure, electronics failures, defective hatches, worn-out rigging, a shifting of the load, an overheated pump igniting a fire, a man overboard, these things can happen in a matter of seconds and jeopardize the safety of an entire crew.
   Unpredictable weather and possible mechanical failures are not, however, the only factors. There is also the driving force of economics. When fishing is good and the boat is making money, the upkeep of the boat is usually a high priority; but in tougher economic times, maintenance often suffers.
   Over the past several years, profit margins in the fishing industry have shrunk, due to many factors, including: a decrease in days at sea, an increase in regulations, the rising cost of doing business, and unstable and fluctuating market prices.
   One way in which the loss of life and limb could be reduced is to provide the fishing industry with a better awareness of safety and survival techniques. Even if the costs of this awareness have to be shared by the fishermen, the state and federal governments and the insurance companies, it should be done. By having more tools to reduce the high cost of injury and death, everyone benefits.
   The loss of life and limb should not be part of the cost of doing business.