iFish6

Grenada has experience significant changes within its small-scale commercial fishing fleet over the past three decades, including exponential increase in the number of vessels and their operational range. Since 1990, national legislation has been established to provide for minimum requirements and safety standards of boats within the Fisheries sector. During this same period, several initiatives have been implemented to improve safety at sea for fishers to reduce the loss of life, livelihoods and property. These include advancement in shipbuilding, establishment of island-wide ship to shore communication network (e.g., VHF repeaters) and provision of safety equipment targeting small-scale fishers. Also, in 2012, a national Fisheries policy was developed, and one of its themes “Enhancing the status and capability of fishers” listed safety at sea for small-scale fishers as a high priority. More recently, the Government of Grenada with support from the FAO has embarked on a program to review and update the safety at sea policy and legislation, as well as provide the enhance safety training for small-scale fishers across the country, consistent with international instruments and standards catered for under organisations such as the IMO and FAO. As a result of these initiatives, there has been a considerable reduction in the loss of lives and property at sea among the fishing fleet. Concurrent to the updating of the minimum safety standards, there was a home-grown safety at sea program being implemented using the training manual “Safety at sea for small-scale fishers in the Caribbean” developed by the FAO. However, greater coordination of efforts is now required in enforcements, outreach, education and further improvements in infrastructure to eliminate the loss of life and property among the local fishing fleet.

In Bangladesh fishing, particularly artisanal small-scale sea fishing has become one of the most dangerous occupations in the country, where safety standards and facilities are poor, and safety training is virtually non-existent. Small-scale fishing provides employment, income and livelihood to almost half million full-time fishers, who are regularly exposed to hazardous conditions at sea. Thus, ‘fishSAFE2025: Bangladesh Fishing Safety Intervention Programme’ implemented by FISH Safety Foundation in collaboration with Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), Bangladesh that was funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, UK. The study purposely determined the small-scale fishing socio-demography, occupational safety and health hazards faced, and probable safety interventions for the small-scale fishers in the coastal district Patuakhali and Barguna, Bangladesh. The results revealed the natural, social, health, and anthropogenic safety hazards facing artisanal fishers encountered at sea, and the socio-economic impacts on their related communities. The study identified cyclonic storms in high seas as the major natural hazards due to which large numbers of fishermen perish at sea every year. Safety intervention includes fishers and skippers training of trainers (ToT) on ‘safety at sea’ materials from FAO and BoBP. The significant output of fishSAFE2025 is developed five graphics-based safety training modules on: Emergency First Aid, Emergency Preparation, Safety Risk Management, Vessel Engine Maintenance, and Fire Safety. Safety items (life jackets, buoy, sun-glasses, first-aid kit box) were donated under the re-FISH initiative that emerged and wishes to continue these needed items. The project also identified COVID-19 impact, knowledge, attitude and practices of the small-scale fishers. The fishSAFE2025 recommended effective safety policy, training, input supplies, and social awareness could certainly contribute to improve the fishing safety culture, thus to save lives and reduce the devastating impact on the associated families and wider communities of the small-scale fishers in Bangladesh.

In 1985 the MSSTC was founded by the National Lifesaving Association of Iceland for the purpose to educate seafarers on safety and survival. Now almost 40 years later we have seen how the safety training among other action have changed the industry. In 2008 was the first time in Iceland history that no fatal accident happened in the fishing and merchant shipping which has been repeated several times.

Good cooperation between the government and stakeholders has led to common understanding of the importance of action that will lead to safer industry. In cooperation of interesting partners Icelandic Authorities have over the years put effort in measurement to reduce accidents in the industry and have come up with strategic plans from 2024-2038.

With mandatory ship reporting system, renewal of the fishing fleet, better weather forecasts and strong SAR operation are among the vital factors in addition to safety training that have led to the reduction of fatality in the industry.

During the pandemic the safety training providers had to take new steps in training with the help of distance learning but that could not replace the practical training that is needed. Virtual training is in some way replacing practical training but that will not solve the necessary training needed for fishers and other seafarers. MSSTC managed to continue training throughout the pandemic with certain restriction.

Does training improve fisher safety? The response to this question is invariably always ‘yes’, but what evidence is there to support this belief?

Basic safety training is required to work on commercial fishing vessels, as it is in many other maritime industries. It is included in STCW-F 1995, along with additional requirements (on certain categories of vessels) for deck and engineer officers, watchkeepers, radio operators, etc.

Yet to implement STCW-F, the UK has its own regulations with similar requirements. In addition, and for more than 25 years, Seafish has been administering government funding to encourage new entrant and experienced fishers to undertake additional voluntary training, confident in the belief that this will make them even safer.

This paper presents results from an analysis of the training records of crew from fishing vessels involved in accidents reported to the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch. It assesses compliance with mandatory requirements and engagement with voluntary training opportunities, whilst also considering other factors such as the recency of training.

Whilst it is impossible to isolate the impact of crew training on these incidents, the results provide a fascinating insight into attitudes towards training.

The purpose of this paper is to prompt discussion and encourage further research into the links between training and fisher safety. This is considered vital to inform discussions at IMO on revisions to STCW-F 1995 and to inform domestic decisions on future funding for crew training.