BACKGROUND Falls overboard are a major contributor to commercial fishing fatalities in Alaska. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has repeatedly identified falls overboard as a critical issue in commercial fishing safety. This article describes the problem of falls overboard and discusses possible ways to reduce the risk factors. METHODS Data from the Alaska Occupationa...

Fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations, and as many as 24,000 fishermen around the world suffer fatal injuries or drowning at sea every year. Although fishermen in the European fishing fleet work in harsh and dangerous environments, many fishermen do not use personal protective clothing and buoyancy aids due to reduced work comfort and poor functionality. This emphasizes the importanc...

This paper discusses spatial patterns in small-scale fishing in Africa. It is located in Lake Victoria where since the 1990s a vibrant Nile perch fishing for overseas export developed. Focusing on a very small area in the Ugandan part of the lake, the paper uncovers a larger diversity in fishermen’s responses to the dynamic environment of the Nile perch sector than a widely adopted generic mode...

Sharks and rays' abundance can decline considerably with fishing. Community changes, however, are more complex because of species interactions, and variable vulnerability and exposure to fishing. We evaluated long-term changes in the elasmobranch community of the Adriatic Sea, a heavily exploited Mediterranean basin where top-predators have been strongly depleted historically, and fishing devel...

The queen conch Strombus gigas represents one of the most important fishery resources of the Caribbean but heavy fishing pressure has led to the depletion of stocks throughout the region, causing the inclusion of this species into CITES Appendix II and IUCN's Red-List. In Mexico, the queen conch is managed through a minimum fishing size of 200 mm shell length and a fishing quota which usually r...

We develop and apply a new method for estimating the economic benefits of an environmental amenity. The method is based upon the notion of estimating the derived demand for a privately traded option to utilize an open access good. In particular, the demand for state fishing licenses is used to infer the benefits of recreational fishing. Using panel data on state fishing license sales and prices...

Sport fishing is an activity responsible for moving millions of dollars around the world. However, this activity is also considered to cause habitat degradation and promoting several negative effects on the ichthyofauna. The “Iguaçu Dourado” project, presented here, seeks to intensify the potential of sport fishing in the Iguaç u River Basin. Although not explicit, the project intends to introd...

Seabirds are attracted to fishing vessels by the discard of waste from fishing. While this waste provides an available food source, seabirds foraging near vessels are at risk of either being caught or struck by the fishing gear. Within New Zealand waters, there were 212 seabirds observed killed by trawlers during the 2006–07 fishing year. Birds feeding on fishing waste behind trawlers may be st...

The swordfish now ranks as one of the Mediterranean's most vulnerable species, the EU announced last month, proposing new measures to protect diminishing stocks. As well as continuing a swordfish fishing ban for two consecutive months each year — October and November this year — the EU wants to prevent the 'by-catch' of swordfish by vessels that are supposed to be fishing for other species. Thi...

The purpose of this study is to determine the magnitude of the fisheries sector along the Amazon river in Brazil. Total income and employment was estimated for the principal activities comprising the fisheries sector: fish processing plants, stores selling fishing gear, gas stations, restaurants, ice factories, and boatyards based on interviews conducted with businesses in 15 cities along the A...