The fishing industry is notorious for having some of the most dangerous jobs in the country. Working on a fishing boat can be dangerous, as fishermen often work in severe weather and on vessels that have slippery surfaces. Recently, a fishing boat sank off the shore of New Jersey, leaving many fishermen lost at sea.

The fishing boat accident near New Jersey added to the hundreds of deaths among fishermen across the country. In 1991, the Andrea Gaildisappeared on its journey home to Gloucester, taking the lives of six fishermen. In 2001, the Arctic Rose sank in the Bering Sea, claiming the lives of 15 fishermen.

Commercial fishermen are protected under the law and can pursue compensation when they suffer injuries. An injured fisherman has certain legal rights under the Jones Act and is entitled to seek damages when injuries are caused by negligence or an unseaworthy vessel.

A Jones Act lawsuit can result in compensation for pain and suffering, past and future lost wages, disfigurement, mental anguish and other costs associated with the injury. In some cases, negligence by a third party, such as a contractor, is to blame for the fishing boat accident, which can lead to a third party claim.

If you have been injured on a fishing boat, you should contact an experienced fishing boat accident lawyer. Contact our law firm as soon as possible, the initial consultation is free and confidential.

Three Houston-area men and two Louisiana residents were found dead early Thursday after their fishing boat slammed into a barge along a canal southwest of New Orleans, authorities said.

The fishing boat was found about 9:15 a.m. partially jutting out from below a barge that was moored along Falgout Canal near Houma, authorities said.

“You still had a portion of it that was underneath the (forward edge) of the barge,” said Maj. Euia Usie, with the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office.

At least one of the victims was found lying on the barge while the others were still inside the boat or in the water, Usie said.

“They were close together,” Usie said.

Sheriff’s officials identified the local victims as Rene Gauthier, 59, of Houston; Lawrence Flak, 54, of Conroe, and Katy resident William Voss, 49. The two Louisiana victims were Michael Carrere, 43, of Bayou Blue, and Carey Meche, 52, of Metairie.

Usie said his agency is assisting Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in the investigation. He didn’t know how the victims were discovered.

Capt. Samuel Martin of Wildlife and Fisheries told the Houma Courier that workers tending to the barge found the men’s boat. The men, he said, likely died from injuries received upon impact. He said he was unsure whether the group wore life vests.

“Drowning was not the issue,” he told the Courier. “Trauma was the issue from them striking the metal barge.”

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois told WDSU-TV in New Orleans that the men were last seen around 10 p.m. Wednesday leaving the Dulac area on the way to Bayou Dularge.

Investigators don’t know how the 24-foot aluminum fishing boat with an outboard motor became pinned under the barge.

The men were planning to attend the Houma Oilman’s Fishing Invitational, officials said.

“All these gentlemen are oil-field employees that have been coming to the tournament for several years,” Usie said.

Officials said a steady stream of cars passes along a road running near the canal.

“You really couldn’t see it too much from the road because of the way the barges were placed,” Usie said.

He said there is a “fair amount” of boating traffic along the canal.

“We have a lot of people that fish down here for a living and they use it,” Usie said.

The Lady Mary, a 71-foot scallop boat based at Cape May in southern New Jersey, sank at approximately 5:00 AM on Tuesday, March 24, 2009. There were seven people aboard the fishing boat about 75 miles off the coast. The accident is expected to rank among the worst commercial fishing disasters in the history of the United States.

By Tuesday night, only one survivor had been found. Two of the three crew members were pulled from the icy water by a Coast Guard helicopter, but both later died.

More than 100 commercial fishermen have died at sea off the New Jersey coast, since reliable records started being kept in1931.

One of the worst accidents happened in 2001 when the Artic Rose sunk in the Bering Sea, which killed 15 people. The Aleutian Enterprise also sank in the same location in 1990, killing nine people.

All seven crew members in the recent accident off the New Jersey coast were wearing cold-water survival suits, according to the Coast Guard. However, a national search and rescue expert said that chances are not good for survival in 40-degree water.

The survivor, Jose Luis Ariese, told authorities that the members had lifesaving suits and abandoned ship, although he didn’t give a specific reason as to why they left the boat. Ariese had spent at least two hours in the icy water and was treated and released from the hospital.