US Coast Guard Analysis of Fishing Vessel Casualties

The Compliance Analysis Division
collaborated with the Fishing Vessel Safety program manager and prepared a follow-on
review to provide information about why and how such incidents occurred. That report was
distributed in October of 1999. This document is the third edition of the casualty study with
newly added data for calendar years 2001 through 2004.2 The resulting updated data set
includes such factors as:
• Operation of the vessel at the time of the incident.
• Geographic or location information of the incident.
• Participation of the vessel in the voluntary exam program and its decal status.
• Causal information about vessel loss, (what went wrong).
• Causal information about deaths and missing persons.
• Assistance by Good Samaritan vessels, and
• Availability and use of lifesaving equipment.
Analysis of the casualty data is presented in two parts: vessel losses, and crew fatalities.
Each part begins with overall summaries and descriptive statistics. From that starting point,
a more detailed "drill down" analysis is provided on the data. In other words, for each of the
two groupings, the broad based information was examined in increasing detail, in order to
"peel back," or focus on, the most significant factors involved in these fishing vessel
incidents.
For the eleven-year period from 1994 through 2004, there were 1398 lost vessels and 641
fatalities. Of those fatalities, 328 occurred at the same time a vessel was lost. Overall, this
is an average of 127 lost vessels and 58 fatalities per year.
The information showed that the majority of fishing vessel losses and deaths occurred in
the 17th and 8th Coast Guard Districts.

View full report here