The sockeye salmon run is wrapping up in Bristol Bay, and so far, there haven’t been any operational commercial fishing deaths, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
That’s a number to celebrate, but right now, it’s unclear if anyone is keeping track of that data at the federal agency that’s responsible for analyzing commercial fishing fatalities.
Scott Wilwert works for the U.S. Coast Guard as the Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Program Manager for the state of Alaska. Part of his job is running safety checks on boats in Bristol Bay.
“I think we did 390 exams in about 10 days,” Wilwert said. “So that's awesome.”
Wilwert says the Coast Guard also tracks every time a commercial fisherman dies because of a work-related accident. Bristol Bay has recorded eight operational commercial fishing deaths since 2015. And so far, this season?
“I certainly don't want to jinx myself or anybody else,” Wilwert said. “But right now, we're at a zero.”
Layoffs impact the Commercial Fishing Incident Database
In the past, that zero would go into something called the Commercial Fishing Incident Database (CFID) managed by a federal agency called the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH.
Normally, the agency would use the database to track fatality rates and look into what drove them. But in April, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid off almost everyone at NIOSH.
Wilwert says that his go-to person at the agency who would normally crunch those numbers left, and hasn’t been replaced.
“I don't know for sure where that's heading and if there's gonna be a rehiring of some of the people in that position or not,” Wilwert said.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which oversees NIOSH, could not be reached for comment on whether they’re maintaining the CFID.
Consequences for marine safety organizations
Leann Cyr is the executive director at the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association, or AMSEA. She says she doesn’t think anyone is currently managing the database.
“I don’t know what the future will be if we don't get NIOSH employees rehired,” Cyr said.
Her organization is one of many that rely on data and analysis from NIOSH to make the industry safer.
“Our training is based on this data, and everything that we focus on and what we teach fishermen,” Cyr said. “It's based on fatalities so we can learn.”
Senator Murkowski questions RFK Jr. on NIOSH cuts
In May, federal officials reinstated 328 NIOSH employees, but it’s unclear if that includes the office that focuses on marine safety. At a Senate hearing on May 14, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski asked Kennedy about that decision.
“That's something that I'm deeply concerned with, with the commercial fisheries,” Kennedy said. “Let's, you know, work for the solution.”
It’s been a few months since that exchange, and it’s unclear if that led to any changes. Murkowski’s office could not be reached for comment by deadline.
