Observer Casualties, Injuries, and Near Misses

A project of the Observer Health, Safety, and Welfare Focus Area

Project Overview

Fisheries Observation work involves certain inherent risks. This project, initiated by Brad Justin in the Fall 2007, focuses on building awareness of these risks and dangerous situations. By cataloging actual case examples of Observer casualties, injuries, and near misses, we hope to provide an important resource of "lessons learned" for stakeholders to reference when fully comprehending the potential dangers of the profession.

The tragedies outlined here are painful lessons that remind us that despite great improvements in safety since the 1990's (heightened safety training and safety equipment provided to observers), the fisheries observer job is still quite dangerous. Luckily, we can reduce these risks by raising awareness of past incidents. The aim of this on-going project is not only to categorize all observer casualties, injuries, and near misses (all that are made available to the public) but to also promote, through advocacy and education, certain desirable practices meant to ensure observers' safety and to provide a foundation for new and emerging observer programs and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO) to help with improving safety conditions for their observers.

Project Updates

[Last Updated: July 2009] Note: The following list is really just a start and should by no means be considered representative but should rather be considered an on-going Catalogue of Observer Casualties, Injuries, and Near Misses.

Catalogue of Observer Casualties, Injuries, and Near Misses

Deaths (USA)
Jay Alderman - September 19, 2007; F/V Westward I; North Pacific
Fell in the water and drowned while attempting to re-board his vessel.

Jay Howell (observer trainee) - January 1st, 1997; North Pacific
Died of exposure in Anchorage, AK. Body found April, 1998 in Cook Inlet.

Chris Scanlon - July 1991; North Pacific
Hit by a drunk driver while bicycling back from hiking in Kodiak, AK.

Robert W. McCord - March 22nd, 1990: F/V Aleutian Enterprise; North Pacific
Vessel sank. 22 survivors. 9 deaths, including observer.

Off the Job Deaths (USA)
Mischa Newman - June 2003; North Pacific
Crushed by the all-terrain vehicle she was riding while researching black-footed ferrets in Montana.

Off the Job Injuries (USA)
Brian Petrie - January 9, 2007; North Pacific
Struck by a bus in Chile which ran a red light while he was in a crosswalk. Brian has undergone extensive physiotherapy for neck and back injuries.

Near Misses (USA)
Michele Klodzinski - February 26th, 2008: F/T Pacific Glacier; North Pacific
Fire. All had to abandon ship. All of the crew and the observer survived.

Jason Vallee and Gwen Rains - March 23rd, 2008; F/T Alaska Ranger; North Pacific
Vessel sank. Five of the crew died, and the rest of the crew and the two on-board observers survived.

Meghan Miner - Sep. 28th, 2007: F/V Jacob Allen; Northeast
Vessel sank. All of crew including observer survived.

NMFS Observer - 2005: F/V Eva Joy; Northeast
Fire. Vessel sank. All of crew including observer survived.

Ann Weckback - Oct. 20th, 2002: F/V Galaxy Part One - Part Two; North Pacific
Fire. Vessel sank. 23 of 25 crew survived, including observer.

Deaths and Near Misses (outside the USA)
Michael Slusar - March, 2004; F/V Hope Bay; British Columbia, CA.
Observer was the only survivor.

Phillip MacDonald - (unknown date); (unknown vessel); Newfoundland, CA
4 deaths. 4 survivors, including observer.

Judith Reeves - Oct. 28th 1991; L/L Eishin Maru; Northeast, CA
She and her crew survived the infamous "Perfect Storm"

Estelle Laberge - Dec 16-17, 1990; F/V Nadine; Quebec, CA
7 deaths, including observer. 2 survivors.

Alasdair Fowler - circa 1987; Newfoundland, CA
Died when the small plane he was flying home from Greenland crashed. No survivors.

Wendell Cullet - December, 1983; Newfoundland, CA
Drowned while making an at sea transfer and the dory he was in capsized.

Cyril Forward - (various dates); (Various vessels); Newfoundland, CA
Survived 3 sinkings. He is still an active observer.

MRAG observer - May, 2003; F/V Lyn; Southern Ocean
Sinking near South Georgia Island (near Antarctica.) Crew and observer survived.

MRAG observer - May, 2003; F/V Moresko;
Ran aground in Cumberland Bay. Entire crew and observer survived, uninjured.

Things to Consider regarding this Catalogue:

What circumstances increase the risk of observer deaths and injuries?
What can be done -- both before and during -- emergencies to reduce these risks?

We include accidents occurring both on and off boats, as well as those while observers were between contracts (periods of traveling or vacationing). We include the latter since for some observers, the interim-contract activity common to many observer positions is associated with what some have dubbed "the observer lifestyle", which includes high-risk activities such as biological fieldwork and outdoor recreational activities. On the other hand, some off-the-job injuries arguably have nothing to do with observing and could have happened anywhere: (for example, see Mail Buoy Spring 2007 article Observer in Distress.)

All but one incident listed occurred in either the USA or Canada. We know that other nation's programs may be suffering higher casualties and incidents. Only by sharing information with one another can we learn from our mistakes and work together to be safer.

We know that this list is very incomplete. Please help us to piece other incidents together. If anyone has any information which may lead us to other observer casualties, injuries, and near-misses from anywhere around the world, please contact Ebol Rojas at ebolred@yahoo.com.ar or the APO at apo@apo- observers.org.

Contact Information

Please do not hesitate to contact us with your questions or feedback, and if you have any interest in participating in the developments of this project.
Ebol Rojas: ebolred@yahoo.com.ar
Keith Davis: lblegend@yahoo.com
Mark Wormington: siberio@hotmail.com

Project Resources

Acknowledgements

The Catalogue of Observer Casualties, Injuries, and Near Misses was started by Brad Justin (Prior Observer; North Pacific). Thanks to Brad for getting this list started. Rueben Beazley (Observer; Newfoundland, Canada) contributed many entries from Canada, and Ebol Rojas related one incident from South Georgia. Much information surrounding USA cases was gleaned from an ObserverNet forum discussion titled "Observer Casualties and Related Issues (Health and Safety)" This thread, compiled by North Pacific observer Felix Canez, provides additional information not included in this article. We encourage the reader to browse it. Thank you to all who have contributed to this Catalogue thus far.