Fishing / boat ,safety

The Fishing Industry Safety & Health (FISH) Platform has welcomed members from more than 10 countries at their meeting held in Cape Town, South Africa on 20 and 21 November. This has been FISH Platform’s second in person meeting of the year and members from all around the globe were hosted by the Sea Safety Training Group (SSTG) in Cape Town, with thanks going to FISH Platform members Leon Mouton and Sizwe Mavundla. Experts in fishing safety exchanged knowledge and learned from other members at the meeting.

Leon and Sizwe from SSTG in Cape Town explained how they have developed a fishing safety management system (FSM). With advice from FISH Platform, combined with funding from IFFS to train fishing vessel auditors, more vessels are adopting this in South Africa and free of charge, which has removed a barrier to adopting a FSM for smaller operators. Fishing Safety Management Systems have been a game changer in improving safety across fishing fleets as well as helping operators to more efficiently meet the necessary certification requirements from regulators. One of the newly qualified fishing vessel auditors from the South African auditor training programme is FISH Platform member Willem Buckle who is working on safety in the Namibian fishing fleet. As an ISM qualified fishing vessel auditor he is now promoting this safety culture in Namibia and has begun a dialogue with the Namibian government about adoption of international fishing safety conventions in Namibia.

Other success stories from the African continent included Thomas van Schie of Prosea Marine Education working with Friends of The Nation, Ghana on the IFFS grant awarded project “Ghana Small Scale Fisher Safety Project” and how they are trying to develop quality safety solutions which can also be practically adopted and accepted by small boats. Prosea is focused on sustainable maritime solutions but importantly, Thomas explained how they view the safety of fishers to be one of the foundations for truly sustainable fisheries and marine environments.

And from the perspective of large vessels, we heard from Diavre George of West Point Fishing, one of the largest pelagic fishing and processing companies employing 2000 people on the West Coast of South Africa. “Our skippers mostly didn’t know they needed a change but we were losing lives in the sector and we had to make sure

people can come home safe to their families. We implemented a safety management system for all our boats combined with more training to improve safety and save lives”

Nigel Blazeby presented benefits and proven results of implementing fishing vessel safety management systems. FISH Platform participant Liam Shelbourne of Dragon Fishing explained how the introduction of a safety management system, audited by Blazeby Maritime Consultants, has been absolutely crucial in eradicating crew fatalities and retaining certification in their large squid jigger fleet operating in the North Atlantic and Falklands. Since implementation, the rate of fatalities has dramatically reduced with zero annual fatalities becoming the norm in the fleet.

Captain Vernon Keller of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) presented an overview of some of the issues facing the South African fishing vessel fleet. While acknowledging that the average age of vessels is more than 20 years with many older vessels carrying the potential for inherent design and construction issues, the age of a vessel need not necessarily determine safety. Vernon acknowledged the very recent fishing vessel tragedies in South Africa over the last 12 months resulting in a significant loss of life and how this has had an impact on the vessel survey and inspection regime but he also highlighted the ongoing dialogue between regulator and industry and how participating with FISH Platform meetings was helpful in developing practical solutions for a change in safety culture. Further insight on the South African fishing fleet and current issues were contributed by SAMSA Principal Officer in Mossel Bay, Captain Thembela Teboshe. Thembela recognises the need to explore Code which relates to the under 25 tonnes fishing vessels. The meetings are a vital opportunity for participants to exchange knowledge and help each other achieve more by using the network of members. FISH Platform members work together to save lives in fishing and the focus is on the humans who serve on board all fishing vessels, large and small. It is the people who are the common denominator.

FISH Platform Chair, Cor Blonk of the Pelagic Freezer-Trawler Association (Netherlands) gave presentations on blending the STCW Basic

Training with STCW-Fishing Basic Training as well as an update on CHIRP’s development of a confidential hazard reporting portal for the fishing industry. Robert Greenwood chaired the workshop on the Fishing Safety Management Code which enabled many FISH Platform participants to work though the practical issues of implementing a Fishing Safety Management System.

Florence Poulain of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations shared key points from the FAO publication on “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024” showing that global fisheries and aquaculture production reached an all-time high of 223 million tonnes in 2022. With the exception of Asia, capture fisheries remain the main supplier of aquatic animals in all regions. Marine capture fisheries remain vital for food and livelihoods. However, the sustainability of marine fisheries is an ongoing concern. Fisheries and aquaculture directly employs 62 million people, over 90 percent of these in small scale fisheries operations. There are estimated to be a staggering 600 million people relying on fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing in the world. World population is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. Just maintaining current levels of consumption of aquatic animal foods by 2050, the global supply would require a 22 percent rise. In the face of this, it is important to address safety and health concerns immediately. Florence highlighted how the most important international conventions relating to fishing safety have not been ratified in enough countries, with a key example being the Cape Town 2012 Agreement which is still not in force 12 years after its creation. This is combined with the difficulty that most of the conventions only apply to large vessels of >24 metres when 90% of fishers operate at small-scale level. Florence underlined the importance of the FAO binding Agreement on Port States Measure (PSMA) which has been widely ratified and can be an entry point to address safety at sea. She also highlighted the importance of voluntary codes that can be used to update national legislations and of FAO/IMO/ILO standards. The FAO has developed

safety materials such as the FAO manual on safety at sea for small-scale fisheries, the vessel design database and guidelines for accident management that promote the development of a safety culture in small scale fishing. The FAO also recognised the lack of a standardised accident reporting system for fishing which is one of the working groups currently active with FISH Platform members.

Julie Sorenson presented how innovation and scientific research can be better communicated and used by the industry though iFISH Exchange which aims to make the link between the scientific and academic community with practical industry applications.

John Lloyd, CEO of The Nautical Institute, introduced THRIVE IN FISHING, a collaborative initiative with The Seafarers’ Charity designed to attract and support new talent in the UK fishing sector. It seeks to elevate professionalism in the industry by prioritising safety and comprehensive training. By implementing a sustainable business model, the initiative aims to strengthen local fishing communities while fostering long-term careers in the sector. Since 2023, full membership in The Nautical Institute has been available to fishing professionals, reflecting a commitment to integrating the industry into the wider maritime profession. Beyond improving safety standards, John Lloyd emphasises the importance of promoting commercial fishing as a viable, professional career path, supported by opportunities for continued professional development. So many times we see there is a link for fishers everywhere between safety and your financial position and it can all have an impact on your mental health. FISH Platform member Weitze Kampen from the Dutch trade union CNV presented how to deal with finances when income changes. They are supporting fishers with a range of problems from debt and labour disputes, violence and harassment as well as financial planning.

Stability for fishing vessels is a critical issue as a major cause of fatalities and it is one of FISH Platform’s active working groups. Matteo Scarponi, from the Wolfson Unit MTIA, University of Southampton presented the recent findings from fishing vessel stability research undertaken in their test tank using scale models for both mono hulled and catamaran small fishing vessels. The research was funded by The Seafarers’ Charity and Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute and supported by Charles Blyth of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations and the recommendations will contribute to improvements in national stability regulations and guidance as well as being shared more widely for the benefit of improving small fishing vessel stability anywhere in the world.

FISH Platform is one of the founders of the International Fund for Fishing Safety (IFFS), which is a truly international fund, was set up with the aim of making practical improvements in fishing safety and in particular in the global south including Africa, Asia and Latin America. FISH Platform members presented progress on exciting new fishing safety projects which are getting underway with grants from IFFS. IFFS Coordinator Alan McCulla and Daryl Attwood of Lloyd’s Register Foundation explained why the new Fund is so vitally needed to support the 38 million commercial fishers in the world and what has already been achieved. Over £220,000 in grants have already been awarded in 2024 and projects are already underway in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Vietnam and Thailand but with plans for so much more to come in global fishing safety and hope that more industry organisations will partner with the Fund and share the benefits of safer and more sustainable fisheries globally.

See our short film from Cor Blonk, Chair of the FISH Platform summing up the progress from the meeting. Watch Here on the FISH Platform Youtube channel: