Part IV: Does the death toll bother the companies, or even the people?

Whether Americans know it or not, Nicaragua accounts for a large portion of the lobsters that America imports. These lobsters are caught almost entirely through the hard, dangerous work of locals who dive to catch the creatures. Those that live on the coast of Nicaragua know lobster diving all too well. It's dangers have led to the deaths of plenty of people in the community. So, why is lobster diving so dangerous and why does it continue to be practiced?

The divers are not given training or proper equipment, and therefore diving has numerous risks  on top of the risks already present in diving with safe practices. The bends, or decompression sickness, is a common occurrence among divers who have no way to measure time or depth. These divers know the risks, but continue to take a chance every day in order to bring home money to their families. Lobster diving is a very common occupations and usually pays fairly well, so the divers will take the risk for the reward.

Companies neglect the workers needs, leading to more and more deaths, making lobster diving one of the most dangerous careers in the world (Timmerman). The companies don't change, simply because they don't have to. The cost of proper training and equipment is not worth saving the lives of a few divers, in the eyes of these major companies. The cost would greatly outweigh the reward, and therefore companies won't go out of their way to make any changes, especially when they aren't being forced to. The only way to improve the conditions of lobster diving, seems to be to cease the practice.