The Other "Deadliest Catch"

As fans of the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch know, commercial fishing is risky business. Now, the New York Times has compiled statistics on just how dangerous it is, and Northwest Dungeness crab fishermen, better take out bigger life insurance policies. The fatality rate for California, Oregon, and Washington crabbers was more than twice the rate among all fishermen, nearly 60 times the rate for all American workers. Most of these deaths result from capsizing in the freezing Pacific waters.  Twenty-three boats went down between 2000 and 2006, resulting in 43 deaths, and only three of those boats had valid Coast Guard safety decals.

The rest of us should thank our stars and kiss our desks - there were only four deaths per 100,000 non-fishermen during the same time period.

--Emily Matchar