NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the panel responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

This report is supported by Contract Number DTCG23-89-C-200113 between the U.S. Coast Guard of the Department of Transportation and the National Academy of Sciences.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

National Research Council (U.S.). Marine Board. Committee on Fishing Vessel Safety.

Fishing vessel safety : blueprint for a national program / Committee on Fishing Vessel Safety, Marine Board, Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, National Research Council.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Fisheries—United States—Safety measures. 2. Fishing boats—United States—Safety measures. 3. Fishing boats—Safety regulations—United States. 4. Fisheries—Safety regulations—United States. I. Title.

SH343.9.N37 1991

363.11′96392′0289—dc20

91-8978

CIP

No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private use without written permission from the publisher, except for the purposes of official use by the U.S. government.

Cover: The shrimper John and Olaf aground and breaking up, Shelikof Strait, Alaska, early 1970s. The vessel grounded on a shoal off the Alaska Peninsula and her engine room flooded while seeking refuge from a fierce storm, heavy icing and the threat of capsizing. A Coast Guard cutter attempting rescue suffered severe icing and was forced back to Kodiak. The captain and three crewmen abandoned the fishing vessel to a liferaft tethered to the rail. The raft was found ashore 70 miles away after breaking free. All four fishermen, including a father and son, were lost. Coffee cups later found on the galley table and on the bridge revealed that the vessel had weathered the storm without capsizing. (U.S. Coast Guard)