Boaters Can Learn from Commercial Fishermen

Try the Safety Techniques and Equipment Used by Marine Professionals

May 20, 2009

Recreational boaters can learn much about boating safety by observing and using the same equipment and practices exercised by commercial fishermen.

Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations found within the United States and throughout the world. A number of measures and practices have been taken by the fishing industry to improve safety at sea and increase the chances of survival after the occurrence of a marine casualty. Adoption of this technology and the techniques used by commercial fishermen can benefit recreational boaters everywhere.

Fishermen operate in extreme conditions of weather, sea state and fatigue. The risk of injury can come from equipment failure, collusion, and human error. If a safety skill or piece of equipment is developed in this environment, it can be sure to help smaller boats operating under more favorable conditions.

Some Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Equipment and Practices

Immersion (Survival) Suits – Immersion suits are required to be carried on commercial fishing boats operating north of 32°N latitude line. Research shows many people will not survive immersion in 70° F water for more than a couple hours and the body will not maintain its core temperature for extended periods in water that is less than 91° F. Use of immersion suits greatly increases the odds of surviving contact with cold water. These suits provide flotation and keep a person fairly dry in cold water. They can extend survival times by hours and often days. This is one piece of commercial fishing vessel safety gear that has a place on a recreational vessel operating in cold water.

Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) – These radio beacons take the search out of a search and rescue mission. The current 406MHz radio technology is use allows for rapid acquisition and location of the distress signal, pinpointing a vessel’s location in just a matter of minutes. EPIRBs come in two categories; those that are designed to float free in an emergency and devices that must be manually activated. Increased use of EPIRBs and improved electronics technology has greatly lowered the cost of 406MHz EPRIRBs. They can now be purchased for around $750.

Emergency Drill Training – The crews of commercial fishing vessels participate in onboard training or drills to practice handling emergency procedures. Topics include dealing with fire onboard, a man overboard, donning an immersion suit, abandoning ship, making mayday calls, and conducting damage control. Training is a proven way to improve a person’s ability to effectively respond to an emergency situation. Groups like the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) offer courses in how to conduct effective drills.

Improved Communications Technology – A couple of new technologies, digital selective calling (DSC) and automatic identification system (AIS), have been developed in marine radio communications gear. DSC allows a person to call a specific marine VHF radio among the hundreds that can be in use at one time. This capability depends on the use of a using a nine digit Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number that is assigned to each boater that registers their radio. During an emergency, a skipper or crew member can punch a button on a DSC equipped radio that broadcasts this identification information to rescue agencies that allows access to the contact and description information of file for the boat.

Automatic Identification Equipment (AIS) is carried by many commercial vessels as a requirement to operate in Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) zones operated by the Coast Guard. AIS is backwards compatible with DSC radio equipment and provides a wealth of navigational data to a boat operator. Using a radar display with an electronic chart overlay, AIS shows every similarly equipped vessel on the screen. Clicking a vessel displayed shows its name, length, route of travel, speed and more. Safety information like closest point of support and time to closest point of approach are shown graphically. Information previously only available to vessel traffic controllers can be provided by having AIS onboard.

These are just a few examples of safety technology used by commercial fishermen that can benefit savvy recreational boaters.

The copyright of the article Boaters Can Learn from Commercial Fishermen in Boat Safety & Maintenance is owned by Alan Sorum. Permission to republish Boaters Can Learn from Commercial Fishermen in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.