The day two of the Pacific Marine Expo, a group of industry experts met to discuss strategies to address the mental health of commercial fishermen. A lot commercial fishermen and industry professionals listen in this case critic matter.
Leann Fay, executive director of the Alaska Marine Safety Association (AMSEA), moderated the Mental health of commercial fishermen: strategies to combat stress on the water session during a panel spoke about managing mental health on and off the boat.
“In general, In commercial fishing, The number of deaths is falling, but mental health-related deaths are increasing. Fishermen are twice as likely to experience excessive trauma and stress than other industries.” Actions, Faye.
“All can relate to stressors in lifeand thatThis is something we can all connect on.
IIn the United States, suicide rates in the commercial sector fishermen are more than double the national average for workplace deaths. Generations of fishermen indirectly addressed mental health challengesbut the new generation wants and needs to see these issues explored in a much more direct way.
He‘s it’s no secret that advertising fishermen endure longer working hours in unpredictable conditions than the average person. Social isolation and heavy manual labor put these people at high risk of abusing alcohol and painkillers or developing opioid dependence, according to AMSEA.
One of the panelists, Marissa Bakerassistant professor at the University of Washington, said “Captains or ship owners should start the conversation to normalize not being 100% all the time.” We need training on mental health and not just on fractures. This will help promote recognize mental health problems.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abusemental illnesses often to accompany substance use disorders, and for many people, drug and alcohol problems arise from self-medication or chronic mental health problems which often don’t do it I know they did.
One of the panelists, Denise Damewood, is the founder of Project Gabe, a resource for harm reduction, provide opioid abuse awareness, education and recovery tools. She is aalso a public health nurse in Sitka and created the Gabe Project in honor of her son Gabe Johnston, who died of an opioid overdose in January 2022. In the discussion, she Talk about daily approaches to stressors.
“Chronic pain is a stressor,” Damewod said. “Wwhen we go to work, We can’t go away physical pain at home. When it comes to commercial fishing It is even longer hours with even harder work and these physical pains are often made worse.
The commercial fishing industry across the country echoes the fight against opioid addiction and its link to mental health issues. With a young generation of fishermen entering the job market is something that these industry professionals are do not ignore. Stress has always been a big factor In work as a salesperson fisherman. Stress factors include finances, crew competence, weather, boat problems, lack of sleep, chronic pain and trauma.
Lady’s wood sharing his history behind the Gabe project with National fisherman in July, saying “IIt is important to put aside old prejudices regarding ‘drug addiction‘ And ‘mental health weaknesses‘ and realize that the strong are hurt and can become addicted to harmful substances like everyone else.
Not only trade fishermen must ensure that their journey the capture will be enough to bait, fuel and maintenance costs, but they Also needo know the weather, the state of health of the crews and the remuneration. In addition to non-traditional factors which consist of fishing, Regulatory changes and restrictions are other factors that have a strong hold on these men and women.
Another panelistJeff Farvora troll fisherman and a longliner from the F/V Apollo spoke about daily stress.
“It is not so easy to leave stressors behind on the beach when you go to sea. We are taught to normalize stressors including crew safety, price changes, and climate change issues; However, burying them can lead to more problems,” Farvour said.
Fay asked the panelists: “What does this mean addreliminate these distinct stressorsto recognize tragic events and not normalize them?»
“IIt all starts with good crew morale and setting a tone and expectations for everyone’s tasks,” Farvour responded.The stigma that everyone does everything on the boat is common.
Tav Ammu, assistant professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and commercial fisherman, joined: “Know your crew and spark conversation and make sure there is a constant opportunity to talk about things.
Damewood stressed the importance of letting your support system know about your plan.
“Be aware of what You are I’m heading towards that You are mentally prepared. Have your tools in place so you have a way to find peace in a different routine. Something tangible is not nothing when everything around you is unfamiliar,» she says.
Although the topic of mental health and opioids addiction is an intense conversation to have, the panelists and Fay left the audience with words of encouragement to normalize opening these conversations within the commercial fishing community. To have strong support system and those in your community that you can rely on when your behavior changes is crucial.
“There is a fine line between toxic masculinity and courage, and we need to come together and break this cycle,” Ammu said.
