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Political Science Labor & Industrial Relations

Voices From Offshore

Narratives of Risk and Danger in the Nova Scotian Deep-Sea Fishery

by (author) Marian Binkley

Publisher
Memorial University Press
Initial publish date
Jan 1994
Category
Labor & Industrial Relations, Fisheries & Aquaculture, Industrial Health & Safety
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780919666764
    Publish Date
    Jan 1994
    List Price
    $27.95

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Description

Every year more men are maimed and killed while deep-sea fishing than in any other industry in Canada. Yet, until recently, these casualties were largely ignored by government and labour. In interviews with fishers and their families, scallopers, engineers, fish plant owners, and others whose livelihoods are hostage to the fishery, this book examines the hazardous and physically demanding occupation of deep-sea fishing.

A complex and fascinating picture emerges: the sea is inherently dangerous and good fishers are, by definition, preoccupied with safety. As both owners and skippers point out, it is the 'best' seamen (the most safety-conscious) who make the most money. Several interviewees describe the dangers of novice fishers, or 'greenhorns', who "get in such queer wrong places."

About the author

Marian Binkley is Professor of Anthropology and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Dalhousie University.

Marian Binkley's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"Voices from Offshore is a major contribution to the literature on the offshore fishery and offshore safety."

Charles R. Menzies, Anthropologica