| For thousands of years human civilization has | | | | as land-based support personnel. The Death on |
| depended on the oceans and waterways for a | | | | the High Seas Act covers deaths of not only |
| variety of needs such as transportation, trade, | | | | seamen and sailors, but also people who die in |
| and recreation. As society improved over the | | | | plane crashes on the open waters.One of the |
| course of the centuries, our dependence on the | | | | most controversial aspects of modern maritime |
| waterways has not diminished. Now, in the 21st | | | | law deals with the status of oil rig workers. These |
| century, the United States relies on seaborne | | | | workers are not technically seamen or sailors in |
| trade for large and irreplaceable portions of the | | | | the traditional sense, but nevertheless spend |
| modern economy. In order to administer the | | | | significant amounts of time on the water on |
| thousands upon thousands of ships, boats, and | | | | platforms that are towed onto the open sea but |
| vessels registered in the U.S., the United States | | | | not permanently fixed to the ocean floor. Most |
| Government set up a number of maritime and | | | | activities associated with offshore oil rigging, |
| admiralty laws that help clarify and organize the | | | | including the helicopters that ferry personnel to |
| myriad situations that can occur on the | | | | the platform and the service personnel who |
| water.Admiralty and maritime laws are made up | | | | supply provisions and provide maintenance, are |
| of statutes that cover activities that take place | | | | covered under these maritime law |
| on any vessel that flies an American flag. These | | | | statutes.Commercial fisherman have some of the |
| rules originally covered injuries and accidents that | | | | most dangerous and underappreciated jobs in |
| afflicted inland water workers, victims of air | | | | modern America. Thousands of fisherman ply the |
| crashes that occur over the waters, and those | | | | open seas, rivers, and lakes every day, and sadly, |
| who support ships while they are loading and | | | | some of them never make it back to home port. |
| unloading cargo and operating in port, but in recent | | | | A great many of these sailors, seamen, mariners, |
| years coverage has expanded to a number of | | | | and fisherman are covered under the maritime |
| other specialized areas.The three main American | | | | laws of the United States, and they or their |
| maritime laws are the Jones Act, the Death on | | | | relatives can sometimes collect compensation for |
| the High Seas Act, and the Longshoreman and | | | | the accidents that occur throughout the maritime |
| Harbor Workers Compensation Act. The Jones | | | | world. The fishing industry is a vital component of |
| Act is a set of rules that establish the | | | | the American economy, and it is shameful when |
| qualifications of a sailor or seamen, and the | | | | these brave workers are taken advantage of by |
| specific conditions that will enable them to collect | | | | callous and indifferent employers.To learn more |
| compensation should they suffer an injury while | | | | about admiralty law or hiring a maritime lawyer, |
| performing their duties. The Longshoreman and | | | | please visit our website at This article may be |
| Harbor Workers Compensation Act is similar to | | | | freely reprinted as long as this resource box is |
| the Jones Act, but covers workers who function | | | | included and all links stay intact as hyperlinks. |