Fishing (activity, Apparel Or Equipment)
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Sports Protective Equipment & Gear · CPSC Code 3223
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Fishing (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) carry a danger score of 41/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 66,834 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 41/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 66,834
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 2.4%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 3223 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 41/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for fishing (activity, apparel or equipment) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume66,834 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)2.4%
- Fatality rate0.05%
- 5-year trend-8%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Fishing (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) (CPSC product code 3223, in the Sports Protective Equipment & Gear category) generate an estimated 66,834 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 1.3M ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 41/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2009 (75,490 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2023 (54,230 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for fishing (activity, apparel or equipment) is foreign body to the finger, accounting for approximately 360,595 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by foreign body to the hand (95,451 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 243,753 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 2.4% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.05%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how fishing (activity, apparel or equipment) fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 25,152 | 13,857 | |
| 5-14 | 199,913 | 43,840 | |
| 15-24 | 162,776 | 32,998 | |
| 25-34 | 132,626 | 32,414 | |
| 35-44 | 141,236 | 39,652 | |
| 45-54 | 154,536 | 41,423 | |
| 55-64 | 128,540 | 31,356 | |
| 65-74 | 88,823 | 19,481 | |
| 75+ | 40,219 | 7,734 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Foreign Body | |
| Hand | Foreign Body | |
| Finger | Puncture | |
| Face | Foreign Body | |
| Foot | Foreign Body | |
| Lower Arm | Foreign Body | |
| Lower Leg | Foreign Body | |
| Head | Foreign Body | |
| Hand | Puncture | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Foot | Puncture | |
| Toe | Foreign Body | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| All Parts Body | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
17 YOM STEPPED ON A CATFISH FIN AND INJURED FOOT DX PUNCTURE FOOT
26 YOM C/O INJ TO FINGER FROM A FISH HOOK AT HOME DX FOREIGN BODY THUMB-FISH HOOK REMOVED, PUNCTURE WOUND FINGER
63 YOF C/O INJ TO FINGER FROM A FISH HOOK AT HOME DX PUNCTURE WOUND FINGER, FOREIGN BODY FINGER- REMOVED
33YOM WAS GETTING OUT OF HIS VEHICLE AND WAS REACHING IN HIS CAR GRABBING HIS KEYS THAT WERE ON A HOOK IN HIS VIZOR AND THERE WAS ALSO A FISH HOOK IN THE VISOR AND IT STUCK HIM IN HIS POINTER FINGER OF HIS RIGHT HAND. DX: FISHHOOK INJURY TO RIGHT FINGER
25YOM PRESENTS AFTER HE SLIPPED ON THE ICE WHILE ICE FISHING TONIGHT. DX: CLOSED FRACTURE OF SHAFT OF LEFT HUMERUS
3YOF STEPPED ON A FISH HOOK AND IT WENT INTO RIGHT FOOT DX: FOREIGN BODY FOOT
56YOM,HAND INJURY WAS FISHING AN GOT IT HOOK STABBED IN HAND,DX:HAND PUNCTURE
7YOM WAS FISHING AND GOT THE FISH HOOK EMBEDDED IN HIS LEFT FOURTH FINGER DX: FOREIGN BODY FINGER
23YOM WAS FISHING AND GOT THE FISH HOOK EMBEDDING INTO HIS UPPER BACK DX: FOREIGN BODY UPPER BACK
37 YOM. RT PALM STINGRAY STING WHILE PT WAS FISHING. DX: MARINE ANIMAL STING
22YOM,SLIPPED AN FELL WHILE FISHING AN LANDED ON ROCK AN FELT POP ON SHOULDER,DX:SHOULDER INJURY
21MOM WAS IN THE BACKSEAT OF MOMS CAR WHEN HE GRABBED A FISHING POLE CAUSING THE HOOK TO GO INTO RIGHT FIFTH FINGER DX: FOREIGN BODY FINGER
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I purchased a Seachoice Products Anchor Lead Chain, model 44101. This is a 48" x 3/16" galvanized chain with two 1/4" galvanized shackles. Both shackles are defective, and of such a defective level of quality that I now suspect whether the chain is any good at all. In any case, I would not trust my life or the life of my family to such shoddy products. Here's the problem: the "pin", which is much like a bolt, is threaded on one end. It goes through one "lug" of the horseshoe shaped shackle, and should engage the threads of the other "lug" of the shackle, where it can be tightened securely. On these shackles, the machining is so poor that the pins merely spin in the threaded lug and do not engage. These shackles are fit for decoration only-but only if one were to "glue" the pin in place. This is a MAJOR safety issue, as the intended use of the shackle is to connect an anchor line (usually nylon) to an anchor. The anchor is one of the primary safety devices on board any vessel. PLEASE LET THE PUBLIC KNOW ABOUT THIS JUNK. Thanks.
on january 27,2012 i purchased a eskimo mako m43 ice auger, ser #47296. from the first time i used the auger i always noticed a few drips of gasoline in the snow when i laid the auger down. february 9th, 2015 after filling the tank i noted the gas was leaking quite a bit from somewhere. i could not see where the gas was coming from, so i ordered a new gas tank from eskimo. when i received the new tank the first thing i noticed was the tank design was changed. after i replaced the tank, i filled the old tanki with water and found the leak was a nut imbedded in the plastic tank. since this is behind the bracket that holds the tank i could see why i couldn't tell where the gas was coming from. if i had been using the ice auger when the gas starting leaking as severly as it was, this would have most likely resulted in a fire and possible explosion. the warranty on this item is 2 years, which has expired; but it is now quite obvious to me that the tank was defective from the factory because of the changes made to the new tank. anyone who has the old type of tank is most likely in danger of becoming severly burned.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to fishing (activity, apparel or equipment) on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are fishing (activity, apparel or equipment)?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, fishing (activity, apparel or equipment) have a danger score of 41/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 66,834 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from fishing (activity, apparel or equipment)?
The most common injury is foreign body to the finger, accounting for approximately 360,595 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from fishing (activity, apparel or equipment) increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for fishing (activity, apparel or equipment) injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 243,753 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by fishing (activity, apparel or equipment)?
Of all ER visits involving fishing (activity, apparel or equipment), approximately 2.4% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (97.6%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with fishing (activity, apparel or equipment)?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Sports Protective Equipment & Gear
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 41/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 5-14 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.