Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant recently developed two new outreach products highlighting mental health resources for people who work in the seafood, fisheries and aquaculture industries. A team made up of representatives from seafood-related businesses and organizations, local mental health services and others developed and delivered a fact sheet (in English and Vietnamese) and a short video focused on understanding stresses in the seafood industry.
People who work on the water perform demanding, dangerous work. They face many obstacles like unpredictable weather, harmful algal blooms, freshwater intrusion, disasters, changing regulations, high operational costs and uncertain income. While fishing communities are often extremely resilient, many fishers, industry workers and their families and friends may not recognize when stress, exhaustion or behavior changes are actually signs of mental health conditions.
The need for focused resources is clear. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that people working in “fishing and hunting” experience suicide rates four times higher than the national average. Using funding from the Gulf of America Alliance, the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative and Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant, the outreach team developed materials to explain mental health conditions, when people may be at risk, suggestions on ways to cope and details about where to ask for help.
People sometimes do not know that the way they feel or their behaviors are symptoms of mental health conditions. These outreach materials explain depression, suicidal thoughts, stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and lack of sleep, which may be common among seafood industry members and their families. The products also highlight practical, everyday coping strategies, such as connecting with others, caring for mind and body, setting priorities and knowing when to ask for help.
The project compiled local, regional and national mental health resources, including the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988) and local services and helplines available in coastal Alabama and Mississippi. By making these resources easy to access, Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant aims to help people navigate the path toward mental wellness.
For additional resources, see our Mental Health Resources for Fishers page.
Meet the author
Melissa Schneider
Communications Coordinator
Melissa Schneider coordinates public information, educational media and communication services for Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant. Some of MASGC's communications projects include our website, social... Read more
Phone: 228-818-8838
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