For the first year-long period on record, from Oct. 1, 2014, through the end of September 2015, the Coast Guard recorded zero operations-related commercial fishing fatalities in Alaska, a milestone in an industry known for its “Deadliest Catch” persona.

In an article in Alaska Fish & Wildlife News, published by the state Department of Fish & Game, the change is credited partly to management practices that have been making the industry safer for years. But also, the article notes, fewer people are fishing. Through much of the 1980s, an average of 31 fishermen died in Alaska each year, according to the report.

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