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BEVERLY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Vans containing life jackets for lobstermen were staked out all day at the Beverly Public Pier Monday.
Very few lobstermen wear lifejackets, and the group — Lifejackets for Lobstermen — is trying to change that by developing a new kind of lifejacket.
“The lobstering industry sees the most rates of falls overboard and the most fatalities. So, we are trying to identify life jackets that are comfortable enough to wear all the time,” Mandy Roome, a field research coordinator for the group, said.
While designing the lifejackets, lobstermen gave the group feedback about what they do and don’t want in a lifejacket, according to Roome.
Roome said the group is going “port to port” along the coasts of Maine and Massachusetts.
“Being in Massachusetts and Maine, the water is cold,” Roome said. “Even the best of swimmers cannot swim. So, it’s so important. A lifejacket will give you much more time.”
A grant allowed the group to sell the jackets at a 50 percent discount.
WBZ NewsRadio's Carl Stevens (@carlwbz) reports
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