Fishing for scallops or groundfish in the Atlantic is more dangerous than fishing for king crabs off Alaska, says a new federal study.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has found that the highest death rates for commercial fishermen — whose occupation is one of the most dangerous in the country — are among ground fishermen and scallopers.
With safety improvements made by Alaska's crab industry in recent decades, Alaskan crab is no longer the deadliest catch, despite the image conveyed by the "Deadliest Catch" cable TV reality series, which chronicles the working lives of Alaskan crab fishermen.
From 2000 to 2009, there were 600 deaths per 100,000 ground fishermen and 425 deaths per 100,000 scallop fishermen in the Atlantic, according to the study. That compares with 260 per 100,000 in the Alaskan crab fishery.
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