Attorneys representing injured commercial fishermen, and the family of deceased commercial fishermen need to know the fisheries where you have been injured. Our firm has been representing commercial fishermen in the North Atlantic for over 40 years. We have sued Lund’s, Atlantic Capes, John Kelleher, Sea Watch/Truex, Eastern Fisheries, Lamonica and scores of others of the big fisheries companies, as well as small operators, who are making millions of dollars off the sweat, broken bones and lost fingers of the seafarers who earn the millions for them.
What a Commercial Fisherman's Attorney Needs to Know
Commercial fishing is a very dangerous operation, with split-second timing and coordination between seamen and the equipment they use, and the officers driving the boat. When a dredge or net is pulled up on the deck, so many things can go wrong with the vessel, pitching and rolling, the equipment swinging, the catch being dumped or the main line being pulled onto the deck.
For instance, a scallopers attorney must know and understand what is the whip line or how the Gearmatic operates to haul up the dredges. They have to know where the 20 Fathom Mark is, or where is the Hudson Canyon. They have to know what is meant by a "closed" versus an "open" areas and what does the National Marine Fisheries permits for the boat allow.
As to clamming operations, they have to understand how towing the dredge has to be done, how the sorting equipment and the A-frame work together to load the clam cages, and have the workers safely sort out the by-catch or garbage.
On the long liners, where and how is the main line set, and how do you position the floats and the high flyers? How is the main line made to hang near the surface (the pelagic longline) to catch fish such as tuna and swordfish or along the sea floor (demersal longline) to catch groundfish such as halibut or cod.
On the lobster boats, was there good coordination between the deckhand and the captain in taking in and setting out the lobster traps?
And in all of these fisheries, your attorneys have to have knowledge about meteorology, such as how the seas and weather affect safety on the boats. They have to be able to understand and use weather prediction services and obtain historical sea-condition reports.
The law firm of Hofmann & Schweitzer has represented literally many hundreds of injured fishermen on hundreds of commercial fishing boats over the years.
We are available nationwide for injured commercial fishermen, but we specialize in handling cases involving claims in the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida.
It is our firm’s practice to respond to our clients immediately and with accurate information about their cases. We have developed an extensive list of experts and witnesses upon whom we can call. Our database access provides us with immediate information about the vessels you work on. We have videos of the operations to help explain to juries those things that are difficult to explain in words.
We accept referrals from attorneys who realize that commercial fishing claims involve an esoteric practice in the maritime law field.
Our Maritime Injury Lawyers Can Fight for Your Full Compensation
For information regarding your legal options after a maritime injury, you owe it to yourself to speak with the experienced maritime injury lawyers of Hofmann & Schweitzer. Our maritime injury lawyers are based in New York, but commonly represent clients across the country. Contact us online or call us directly at 800-362-9329 to schedule your free consultation today.
Paul T. Hofmann
Focused on personal injury, with an emphasis on maritime, railroad and construction worker tort claims.
