Asians bear brunt of fishing deaths in Australia

SYDNEY — Rock fishing is one of the most dangerous recreational sports in Australia, and it is mostly Asians who are dying.It is a high-risk hobby, with anglers standing on exposed rock platforms, often with waves crashing around them, willing to take the risk in the hope of hauling in a better catch than they can get from fishing off a beach.The problem is that the rocks can be slippery and the waves unpredictable, while many anglers fail to wear life jackets or other safety gear.The most recent figures available, for the 2009-2010 season, show that of the 82 coastal drowning deaths in Australia, nearly a quarter were from rock fishing and most of those who died came from an Asian background.Last month, two Chinese men drowned after being swept off rocks in Sydney harbour, ignoring warnings just days before about the danger of large swells.Their deaths continued a worrying trend from the previous year, which saw Asian anglers represent 84 percent of all rock fishing related drowning deaths, according to Surf Lifesaving Australia.This included a group of five Chinese who were swept off rocks in 2009 at Catherine Hill Bay, south of Newcastle, in the worst fishing tragedy in New South Wales state in 20 years.None were wearing life jackets and one body was never recovered."The peak period for rock fishing incidents begins now and we are urging families, particularly in high-risk Asian communities, to actively look after their loved ones," said Surf LifeSaving Australia official Anthony Bradstreet."If in doubt the message is simple: don't put your life on the line and avoid rock fishing all together."Surf LifeSaving is so concerned it has begun working with fishing groups to deliver a multilingual education campaign in ethnic media.It has also started rock fishing safety workshops for high-risk groups and a programme to mentor bilingual educators.The New South Wales government's Safe Waters website, meanwhile, now provides information in not just English, but Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.Stan Konstantaras,

Add comment

Nick
Content

Submit