Objective. To investigate long-term trends in mortality rates for accidents to fishing vessels in the UK fishing industry from 1948 to 2008; to investigate the circumstances and causes of these fishing vessel accidents and trends in fishing vessel losses.
Material and methods. Examination of paper death inquiry files, death registers, marine accident investigative files, annual casualty and death returns.
Results. Of 1039 fatalities from accidents to UK fishing vessels from 1948 to 2008, most (65%) resulted from vessels that foundered (or capsized or disappeared), followed by vessels grounding (21%), collisions (7%), and fires and explosions (5%). There was a significant increase over time of 1.04% per year in the overall fishing vessel loss rate and for vessels that foundered (5.19%), a reduction for vessels grounding (1.13%), but no trends for collisions or fires and explosions. Regarding mortality, there was a significant reduction over time for grounding (1.44%) and a non-significant reduction for vessel accidents overall, but no trends for other types of vessel accident. Mortality was highest during the winter months (for foundering and grounding), during night time (for grounding, fires and explosions), and afternoons (foundering and collisions). Since 1976, most fatalities from collisions (83%) occurred in the English Channel and North Sea, while 49% from grounding occurred off the west coast of Scotland.
Conclusion. The mortality rate from fishing vessel casualties in UK fishing is still very high. Fatalities in recent years have often been linked to fishing vessels that are unstable, overloaded, and unseaworthy.