Trawler Fishing: An Extreme Occupation

Trawler fishing is one of the most dangerous of all occupations. Trawler crews work excessively long hours often under extreme conditions of cold and wet; lack of sleep, which they seldom make good, and disruption of family life are inevitable consequences of their trade. In Great Britain, as in most other maritime countries, legislation protecting the health, safety and welfare of fishermen compares unfavourably with similar legislation for workers in less dangerous and less exacting jobs (International Labour Organization 1962). Recently the White Fish Authority, a body appointed by Act of Parliament to promote the development of the industry, invited my Department at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to investigate Dogger Bank itch, an allergic skin condition affecting trawler