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Along the Coast
Ask the Lobster Doc
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 by Ann Backus, MS
Director of Outreach
Department of Environmental Health
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston MA
Phone (617) 432-3327;
E-mail <abackus@hohp.harvard.edu>
November 2010
MRSA infection outbreaks can happen anywhere
In early October, news reports began circulating that a persistent skin infection had showed up among lobstermen on Vinalhaven Island, ME. The diagnosis for the red, boil-like skin eruptions was “methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,” often abbreviated MRSA, which is pronounced “mersa.” ...continued
September 2010
Safe winch operation: Where’s your shutoff?
Most trawlers in the Northeast have large hydraulic drum winches that wind up cables during haul-back. The cables can be hundreds of fathoms long and are connected to nets that often contain thousands of pounds of fish. ...continued
July 2010
Communication: Use the right tools
People are glued to their cell phones these days, calling each other with incredible frequency, sending tweets around the world, texting their phone buddies with good news and bad. ...continued
May 2010
Beware of altered survival suits
Not just any neoprene suit satisfies Coast Guard requirements for immersion or survival suits.
During a recent look on eBay, I found I could purchase what was called an “immersion suit” for $20 plus shipping. The picture showed a worn foot and I couldn’t tell whether or not there was an inflatable bladder at the neck on the back. ...continued
March 2010
ME study looks at safety equipment, training
How safety conscious are Maine fishermen as a group? How many have the safety equipment appropriate for cold-water fishing? How many have had safety training within the last five years? ...continued
January 2010
No safe alternative to authorized service
Manufacturers advise us to take our EPIRBs, life rafts, and other safety equipment to reputable, authorized service centers for servicing. Sometimes doing this takes extra time and sometimes it costs more. But taking shortcuts with safety equipment maintenance can be deadly. ...continued
November 2009
Do the math; support new safety measures
The loss of 43-year-old Jaime Ortiz, who fell from the Gloucester-based Dominatrix on Oct. 13 while the 39' lobster boat was approximately three miles from shore, has once again put this fishing community in mourning. ...continued
September 2009
What’s in that diesel exhaust you breathe?
A researcher from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) spent time aboard 19 Maine lobster boats from Jonesport to Kennebunk in July and August, measuring the amounts of various components that make up diesel exhaust as part of a collaborative study between HSPH and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). ...continued
July 2009
CG report bottom line: Safety is up to us
This is the last in a three-part series of articles on a report released in October 2008 by the Coast Guard Office of Investigations and Analysis entitled “Analysis of Fishing Vessel Casualties: A Review of Lost Fishing Vessels and Crew Fatalities, 1992-2007.” ...continued
May 2009
CG report: Make vessels safer to save lives
This is the second in a series of articles about a report released in October 2008 by the Coast Guard Office of Investigations and Analysis entitled “Analysis of Fishing Vessel Casualties: A Review of Lost Fishing Vessels and Crew Fatalities, 1992-2007.” ...continued
March 2009
Join collaboration to improve winch safety
Fishermen have long been aware of the hazards of winches, which can mangle fingers, hands, arms, and legs in an instant. Some captains and owners have tried to take steps to prevent human contact with the rotating drum, yet tragedies still occur. ...continued
January 2009
Northeast: Casualties still too high
This is the first in a three-part series based on a report released in October by the Coast Guard Office of Investigations and Analysis entitled “Analysis of Fishing Vessel Casualties: A Review of Lost Fishing Vessels and Crew Fatalities, 1992-2007.” ...continued
September 2008
Fog danger: Take steps to avoid collisions
Perhaps not surprisingly given this summer’s weather, several members of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office in Portland, ME recently asked me to use FISH SAFE to talk about the potential for serious collisions in rain and fog, especially in areas where large commercial shipping vessels are present. ...continued
July 2008
CPR: New approach saves more lives
According to data collected by the US Coast Guard, there were 12 fatal heart attacks among fishermen in the First District between 1993 and March 2008. In fact, fatal heart attacks were the fourth most common cause of death after sinking, man overboard, and capsize during that 15-year period. ...continued
March 2008
Lady Luck: Life raft weak link failed
This column is written in memory of our fishing colleagues Capt. Sean Cone, 24, and Dan Miller, 21, who perished on the night of Jan. 31, 2007 while heading from Portland, ME to Newburyport, MA aboard the Lady Luck. It is also to take action on the recommendation of the Coast Guard commandant to increase industry awareness about the installation and purpose of safety gear. ...continued
January 2008
Tame power sources with lock-out/tag-out
Have you wondered why there is a hole in the flat prong of an electrical plug or in a circuit breaker handle? These holes became mandatory back on Jan. 2, 1990 as a safety measure because they allow for a wire or a special device to be inserted into the holes and locked so that the electrical device cannot be plugged in or that a breaker can be locked in open-circuit position. ...continued
October 2007
Officials credit drills for crew’s survival
On Oct. 4, 2007, New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang publicly praised the captain and crewmembers of Jacob Alan, a 70' fishing vessel, for their bravery. ...continued
September 2007
Protect against multiple hazards of welding
A recent item in Along the Coast (CFN August 2007) reporting medevacs of two fishermen due to eye injuries reminded me of my 2001 visit to the Hyundai container-ship manufacturing and assembly plant in Pohang, South Korea. ...continued
July 2007
Boundary line not the way to figure risk
From the standpoint of fishing safety regulations established under the Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Act (CFVSA) of 1988, the “boundary line” marks the point beyond which federally documented vessels must have specific safety equipment. ...continued
May 2007
How’s your bilge system working?
On the Saturday before the rainy nor’easter of April 15-16, I was purchasing a portable submersible pump for my cellar. I thought it might be a good idea because the rains of May 2006 brought the water table right up through my cement floor, and I was pumping water out for seven days using my neighbor’s pump. ...continued
January 2007
Cutting loose: Knife grip, shape matters
In the November issue, we discussed the events leading up to and resulting in the drowning from entanglement in trap rope of James Tippett aboard the Virginia Ann. This time, we’ll address the importance of having knives readily available to cut free from an entanglement. ...continued
November 2006
Cascade of events led to entanglement death
From the fall of 1999 through the spring of 2000, a team of us from the Harvard School of Public Health interviewed over 100 Maine commercial lobstermen from Kittery to Spruce Head. We asked lobstermen if they had ever been caught in trap rope and we asked what strategies they used to prevent their sternmen and themselves from getting caught. ...continued
September 2006
For 2006, terminations up, casualties down
The Coast Guard issues a vessel termination when a boarding team discovers a hazardous situation for the crew or vessel. When a termination is issued, the vessel must return to port and is not permitted to resume fishing until the infraction has been corrected.
Coast Guard First District personnel report that the number of vessel terminations so far in 2006 is three-to-four times greater than the average number of annual terminations. As of mid-August the Coast Guard had sent 31 vessels home compared to the average of seven to 10 per year. ...continued
July 2006
Question for the crew: Can you run the boat?
I was in South Harpswell, ME in June with representatives of the Maine Marine Patrol and the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office in Portland participating in one of the Maine Harbor Visits mentioned in my last column (CFN May 2006) when this question came up: “Does the crew know how to operate the controls of the boat and the radio?” ...continued
May 2006
ME patrol vessels plan June harbor visits
The Maine Commercial Fishing Safety Council has developed a collaborative project with the Maine Bureau of Marine Patrol and the Coast Guard that calls for each of the state’s six marine patrol vessels to make one harbor visit in early June. ...continued
January 2006
Survival suit, dockside exam save fisherman
On Nov 26, John Sanfilippo was fishing 12 miles southeast of Gloucester when he noticed black smoke coming from the engine room. He opened the engine room door to investigate and was instantly hit in the face by a blast of hot smoke. ...continued
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