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Mortality in the Polish small-scale fishing industry
1Clinic of Internal, Occupational and Tropical Diseases, Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Powstania Styczniowego 9B, 81-519 Gdynia, Poland. poczta@immt.gdynia.pl
Background:
The fishing industry has a high occupational mortality.
Aim:
To investigate the cause of mortality amongst Polish small-scale fishermen during a 40 year period.
Method:
The retrospective data from three independent sources on deaths in the Polish small-scale fishing industry were analysed.
Results:
A total of 177 deaths were identified, with an average annual mortality rate of 89 per 100 000 employees per year. The death rate was significantly higher in boats <13 m in length. In 96% of cases, death was due to external (non-medical) causes, while 60% were related to sea catastrophes, often involving multiple vessels. Alcohol was implicated in 45% of deaths where autopsy was carried out.
Conclusion:
The Polish small-scale fishing industry has a high mortality rate which varies significantly by type of vessel and use of alcohol may be a significant contributory factor.