About 152 of every 100,000 fishermen and women are killed on the job, say the U.S. Labor Department's latest statistics. That's the highest fatality rate of any occupation, slightly higher than the rate of loggers and more than nine times the rate of firefighters and police officers.

Most fishermen killed on the job drown or succumb to hypothermia in the water after a boat sinks or capsizes or after they fall overboard. Bad weather and rough seas are often factors.

According to Coast Guard statistics and safety experts, boats tip or sink for various reasons, including bad weather and rough seas, flooding, fire, improper loading, mechanical problems, poor maintenance, poor design or a navigational error. Falls overboard may result from a wave, a misstep, a slippery boat deck, entanglement in fishing equipment or even alcohol abuse.