Two influential senators from opposite coasts, each hailing from states with rich maritime traditions, hold the key to passing crucial legislation aimed at overhauling inspections and safety standards for America’s fishing fleets. Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, who chairs the Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe, the subcommittee’s senior Republican member, are central to advancing this long-overdue legislative reform.
For years, the U.S. Senate has been the primary roadblock to vessel-safety legislation. However, Cantwell and Snowe, representing two of the nation’s most maritime-centric states, have the power to address the glaring safety issues in an industry known for its extreme hazards—the commercial fishing sector, which has the highest worker fatality rate in the U.S.
The Urgent Need for Reform
Fishing safety standards have lagged behind advancements in other industries, despite widespread recognition of the dangers. One of the most visible reminders of these dangers is Discovery Channel’s reality show Deadliest Catch, which chronicles the life-threatening work of fishing crews. While the show captures the allure of danger, it underscores the stakes for real-life fishermen, where the risks are many times greater than in other hazardous occupations, such as logging or mining.
A bill aimed at improving the safety of fishing vessels was passed by the House in 2008 but stalled in the Senate. This summer, a similar bill will be up for consideration, and the involvement of Cantwell and Snowe is crucial to its success.
The House version of the bill, championed by Minnesota Rep. James Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, includes provisions for setting construction, design, maintenance, and operating standards for new vessels. It also phases in safety standards for older boats, with a final deadline of 2020 for all vessels to comply. Oberstar has long been a proponent of worker safety and identified fishing-vessel construction standards as a key area needing reform.
Why Safety Standards Matter
The importance of this legislation cannot be overstated. Between 1992 and 2007, 55% of the 934 deaths on U.S. fishing vessels were attributed to boats capsizing, sinking, or flooding, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Most fatalities occurred on vessels between 50 and 79 feet long, yet no mandatory safe operating guidelines exist for these vessels. Shockingly, new fishing boats are not required to have their designs approved by naval architects, and vessel inspections remain voluntary.
Although there have been improvements in survival rates over the years—thanks in part to the introduction of emergency survival suits, beacons, and Coast Guard-approved life rafts—commercial fishing remains 28 times more dangerous than the average job. These hard-earned survival gains often came after high-profile disasters, which spurred reactive safety measures.
The House bill addresses these issues head-on, focusing on preventive measures such as enforcing safety standards for vessel construction and maintenance. The new regulations would aim to reduce the high incidence of accidents caused by capsizing, sinking, and flooding.
The Legislative Challenge
While the House seems likely to pass the new legislation, the real challenge lies in the Senate. Previous attempts to overhaul safety standards have faltered at this stage. The bill’s success depends heavily on the commitment of Sen. Cantwell and Sen. Snowe. Their leadership in the Senate could make a lifesaving difference for those who work in America’s most dangerous industry.
With a strong foundation in research and support from lawmakers like Oberstar, this bill could address one of the most significant safety gaps in the U.S. fishing industry: the lack of mandatory construction and operating standards for vessels. Cantwell and Snowe have an opportunity to advocate for this change, ensuring that fishing crews across the nation benefit from safer working conditions.
By addressing the systemic flaws that contribute to vessel-related fatalities, this legislation could save countless lives and modernize an industry that is still operating under outdated safety protocols.
