Article Category: Boat Prep

The importance of vessel maintenance and safety preparedness may be best driven home by federal data that show an average of 43 people die each year in commercial fishing incidents, half of which occur after a vessel disaster. These disasters are sometimes unpreventable, but experts say that making safety and vessel maintenance a top priority when preparing for the upcoming fishing season can enable crews to better handle emergencies. Regular maintenance also can help prevent costly repairs that may put vessels out of commission when there’s money to be made. Figures from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) tracking trends in U.S. commercial fishing fatalities from 2000 to 2019 show commercial fishermen experience work-related fatalities at a rate over 40...

Commercial fishing vessels are built to withstand rough conditions and last for generations, but regular maintenance and upkeep are crucial to keeping them in tip-top shape. It’s particularly important to inspect a boat and its equipment prior to the fishing season after the vessel has been sitting idle for a stretch of time. The same goes for the crew. While you’ll be hard-pressed to find tougher workers than in the commercial fishing industry, the job is demanding, strenuous and dangerous. It can take a toll on even the hardiest of mariners. Being up to date with safety training and ensuring safety equipment is in good-working condition can mean the difference between life and death out on the water. It’s also important to ensure all inspections are completed and permits are in order...

For every profession there are tools of the trade—equipment that’s vital to success. Chefs have their knives; hairstylists have their scissors. For commercial fishermen, it’s what’s beneath their feet – their boat. It’s the one entity that separates them and their crew from the ocean’s murky depths. And before they head out to sea for weeks or months, their vessel needs to be prepared. “Their boat is their life,” explained Blaise Holly, lead shipwright at Haven Boatworks in Port Townsend, Wash. “All the conditions have to exist to ensure that boat brings you back and all the supply systems (are ready) for your fishing operation. When you’re heading out you want to do everything in your power to make sure your boat’s going to float, it’s not going to burst into flames , and it’s going to...