Safety in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Island crab fleet is improving.
In the 1990’s, 73 crew members died making the BSAI crab fleet the most hazardous commercial fishery in the United States.
A report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) shows there was only one fatal injury over from the 2005/2006 season to the 2012/2013 season.
The researchers attribute safety improvements to Coast Guard Compliance Checks and the shift to a quota-based system.