Seafarers UK Calls on Government to Value UK Fishermen’s Lives

14 September 2018
News Release
Seafarers UK Calls on Government to Value UK Fishermen’s Lives
A charity that has been helping people in the maritime community for more than 100 years has called upon Government to ensure that fishermen’s lives are as well protected as the fish they catch.
Seafarers UK’s response to DEFRA’s Fisheries White Paper: ‘Sustainable Fisheries for Future Generations’ argues that more must be done to ensure the health, safety and welfare of UK fishermen who risk their lives to put food on Britain’s tables.
Fishermen surveyed as part of Seafarers UK’s recent ‘Fishing For a Future’ research reported that accidents at sea were commonplace, with many having experienced capsized and sinking vessels as well as falling overboard. Over a third reported injuries received as a result of accidents. Others reported an impact on their health as a result of their working conditions.
The research findings are also supported by the latest statistics from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, which reveal that five fishermen died in five separate incidents between the months of September and November 2017. The Seafish Industry Authority has identified 535 serious injuries to fishermen in the past ten years.
Last July Seafarers UK welcomed Government’s inclusion of safety in the White Paper. The charity believes the Government’s future policy on fisheries management should ensure that fishermen’s lives, and their safety at sea, are valued just as much as the future sustainability of fish stocks.
Other recommendations by Seafarers UK in responding to the Fisheries White Paper include:
Maintenance of a UK-wide standard for fishermen’s health, safety and welfare, to ensure a commonality of approach in devolved administrations
Establishment of a successor to the European Maritime Fisheries Fund to support small-scale low impact inshore fishermen and small fishing ports in making enhancements to vessels, infrastructure and ports, particularly in respect of enhancing safety
Developing a coordinated approach to training new entrants to the fishing industry, helping future generations of fishermen to begin their careers in a safe and sustainable manner
Enabling the views of small-scale low impact fishermen to be heard during consultation on legislative changes and fisheries management
Ensuring proposed changes are financially supported and/or proportionately costed according to their impact on a fisherman’s livelihood and his ability to pay.
Seafarers UK’s Director General Barry Bryant said: ‘Every day our fishermen are risking their lives to put food on our table. In the midst of such uncertainty and change we must join forces to guarantee that our fishermen, their families and the often remote communities in which they live and work are in a stronger position to face whatever the future may bring.’
Seafarers UK is committed to supporting the health, welfare and safety of the fishermen of today and the future, sharing the ambition of the ‘Fishing Industry Safety Group’ and many others that fishing fatalities at sea and in port should be reduced to zero.
www.seafarers.uk/news/seafarers-uk-urges-increased-focus-on-fishermens-safety/
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