iFish6

The fishing industry in Denmark has seen an increased number of regulation changes in the last ten years; for example, the reduction of fishing quotas, different kinds of bans, electronic monitoring of trawlers in the Kattegat and landing obligation. These changes have had negative effects on the fishers’ influence on their work life.

This project investigates how fishers’ psychosocial work environment has been affected and develops recommendations for a safeguarding their well-being through future transitions.

We use qualitative and participatory co-creation methods. The methods include interviews, workshops and design thinking. To learn about fishermen’s experiences, we conducted 4 chronicle workshops with a broad selection of fishermen, representing different kinds of fishing methods, boats, and communities. The workshops provided us with stories and perspectives on their lives as fishermen and their working conditions. We conducted interviews as well.

The two forms of data sources provided the basis for 5 ethnographic stories that illustrate fishermen’s current work lives and psychosocial work environment issues.

The ethnographic stories and the themes from the chronicle workshops, informs the work of a group of industry partners, policy makers and stakeholders. In three workshops we co-create a set of recommendations to safeguard fishermen’s psychosocial work environment moving forward.

The project finishes by the end of 2023. The planned outputs are: ethnographic stories to illustrate fishers’ work lives, a report about the psychosocial work environment of fishers and a set of recommendations to safeguard fishers’ psychosocial work environment.

I wish to present our results and discuss the process and perspectives with the audience.

The commercial fishing industry is known for its grueling work conditions and unpredictable nature, which can take a toll on the mental health of fishermen. However, despite the evident need, the industry has historically been underserved in terms of compatible mental health care resources. The commercial fishing industry has one of the highest suicide rates in the country, with an average of 80 deaths per 100,000 fishermen, over ten times the national average. A recent study from the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety showed clinically assessed PTSD rates in male fishermen (12%) to be three times higher than the national average for men (4%). Fishermen also face numerous barriers to accessing mental healthcare, such as the ability to schedule appointments given chaotic schedules, stigma, and a lack of understanding among mental health providers of fishermen’s unique stressors. Prioritizing the mental health of commercial fishermen is essential for this high-risk occupation, as is the provision of industry-appropriate services. The Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, and Man Therapy have teamed up to create a campaign that specifically targets commercial fishermen. Man Therapy is an innovative approach that uses humor and relatable content to raise awareness about mental health care and to destigmatize health-seeking behavior among fishermen. The Northeast Center has designed a website to provide fisheries-appropriate resources for fishermen and those living or working with fishermen. The presentation will cover website components, resources, and metrics, as well as lessons learned in the provision of online resources for fishermen’s mental health.

In the United States, Commercial fishing is a physically demanding job with high injury rates, long hours, productivity pressures, weak job security and challenges accessing health care. Workers that endure these conditions are at higher risk of being prescribed an opioid and subsequent substance use. Opioid Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) can save lives. However, there are significant barriers to providing OEND in the fishing community because of stereotypes and stigmas. Some fishermen do not want to address drug use in their community out of fear that it will reinforce the stereotype that they are alcoholics and addicts – which many members of the fishing community view as an unfair, outdated, or ignorant. Fishing Partnership Support Services (FPSS) Community Health Workers provide education around substance use disorder as a disease and engage with fishermen to better understand their perceptions of opioid use. FPSS will share information about how it has overcome stigmas and stereotypes and provided OEND to over 2,000 fishermen on the East Coast of the United States. By recognizing that fishermen are first responders at sea, FPSS has reframed the purpose of the training and overcome traditional barriers surrounding substance use disorder.

It has long been understood that lack of sleep impacts the overall health of workers, including brain health, and their risk for on-the-job injuries. The connection between sleep deprivation and worker health and safety has been examined in various industries, however few studies have examined the impact among commercial fishermen. To assess sleep patterns and risk factors among commercial fishermen, we recruited fishermen in four fisheries and three coastal regions of the U.S. (scallop and lobster [Massachusetts], crab [Oregon] and salmon [Alaska]). Surveys were completed by 262 fishermen covering a wide range of topics relevant to lifestyle choices, work, sleep, physical and emotional health. Our team facilitated health assessments for 162 fishermen which included medical history, cardiac health, PTSD screening, and a thorough physical exam with the clinic provider. Results showed that 2 out of 5 fishermen reported having pain so severe that it interfered with their sleep. Almost 1/3 of fishermen said they had trouble going to sleep and nearly half said they had trouble staying asleep. Nearly half of the fishermen with health assessments had blood pressure readings trending towards hypertension. PTSD screenings showed 12% of male fishermen likely had PTSD, three times higher than the national average for men (4%). Sleep, exercise, social support, medical health, mental health and diet are all critically important pillars of brain health. Due to the nature of their work, fishermen often have interrupted sleep that in sum is well under 8 hours per 24-hour period. Understanding the factors that impact brain health and providing guidance on ways they can reduce neurological risk may provide the best opportunity for intervention. The authors recommend developing practical solutions that fishermen can use to improve any pillar of brain health they can control in their work environment to reduce the negative effects of sleep deprivation.