Improving Commercial Fishing Training and Outreach for Alaska Salmon Set Gillnetters

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Project Abstract Burden/Need/Impact: Occupational health research in commercial fishing has demonstrated a need for tailored interventions. This is especially true for Alaska Native workers and salmon set gillnet fishermen who are experiencing the highest fatality rates in Alaska. The unique salmon set gillnet fishing communities, largely Alaska Native, have their own traditional safety knowledge that needs to be acknowledged and utilized in any successful outreach effort or training initiative. Objectives: The objective of this research is to reduce marine fatalities for salmon set gillnetters by achieving the following specific aims 1) identify needs, barriers, motivators, and best practices to influence marine safety behaviors, 2) use community-based strategies to promote participation in training and increased use of life saving equipment, 3) develop and conduct tailored trainings based on needs, barriers, motivators, and best practices, 4) evaluate the training and outreach efforts, and 5) share findings with fishermen, training centers, stakeholders in marine safety, and the research community. Methods: This project utilizes a community-based participatory research approach with the unique salmon set gillnet fishing communities in Yakutat, Bristol Bay, and Norton Sound. Three focus groups will inform needs, barriers, motivators, and best practices to influence marine safety. Community-based outreach strategies and 3 tailored trainings will be developed and implemented. Pre-and-post training surveys will be collected from trainees on skills, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, marine safety behaviors, and use of life saving equipment/procedures. Training and outreach efforts will be evaluated and shared with marine safety instructors and training centers to improve future efforts. Finally, training curriculum, methods, outreach tools, and study findings will be shared with salmon set gillnetters and marine safety stakeholders. Outcomes: End outcomes include increased marine safety knowledge, skills, awareness, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and use of life saving equipment by commercial salmon set gillnetters. This should be measurable by a reduction of fatalities for the Alaska salmon set gillnet fleet over time.