iFish6

Hookah diving has historically been an important small-scale fishery in the Gulf of California in Mexico. It represents a source of food and employment for coastal communities that rely mostly on fishing for their livelihoods. The high risk of the activity, the use of poorly maintained equipment, and the growing demand for fishery resources has resulted in an increase in cases of decompression sickness and death in the region. However, studies addressing this problem are nonexistent. Our goal was to evaluate the technical, safety, and health aspects of divers in this fishery to establish a baseline that would allow us to identify problems and define priority actions to address them. Between June and July 2023, we applied semi-structured surveys to 113 divers between the ages of 17 and 66 in five communities in the Gulf; two of them indigenous. The results show that 59% of the respondents lack formal diving training, and only 27% have an official certification. The fishers dive for up to six hours and to depths that exceed the 30 m recommended by Mexican legislation, following very rudimentary safety techniques based entirely on their empirical experience. Fifty-two percent have suffered decompression injuries, 27% with permanent injuries, and 89% know someone in the community who has died from diving injuries. Ninety-eight percent of fishers are aware of the risks involved in their activity, but they do not consider leaving the fishery because it represents an important source of income and is part of their cultural identity. However, they do show interest in training to avoid future accidents. The hookah diving fishery is vital to local communities, but its sustainability is uncertain. We recommend a participatory approach to address the issue, starting with a training program to improve standards.

Fishing is one of the world’s oldest and most perilous professions, poses significant occupational hazards for small-scale sea-going fishers in Bangladesh. The present study was undertaken to assess the fisher’s socio-economic status, occupational hazards, and indigenous knowledge to address occupational safety and fishing information in Patuakhali, Barguna and Bhola coastal districts of Bangladesh. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 300 randomly selected fishers. The findings highlighted that majority of fishers (35%) were aged 31-40, over two decades of fishing experience (33%), and a concerning illiterate (59%) status. Available safety items were use of life jackets (16%) and radio (91%) for weather updates. The study revealed the indigenous knowledge of the fishers to predict weather conditions by observing cloud colors (100%), warm winds (88%), bubbling water (53%), and halos around the sun (14%) as indications of impending cyclones and storms. Cyclones, vessels collision and other means caused fishers overboard, who (84%) rely on poor flotation techniques like fishing gear floats, empty oil/water drums, and bamboo rafts to stay afloat and await assistance from strangers. For fishing operations, fishers observed water color (98%) and the presence of cormorants, gulls, and dolphins (96%) as an indication of fish abundance. Conversely, bad odors (75%) and dark green water (23%) were considered signs of less availability of fish. Indigenous navigational knowledge referred by lunar phases (83%), star constellations (100%), white cloud formation (86%), and wave patterns (46%). The study revealed an alarming safety situation where 96% of fishers has experienced with major or minor injuries specifically for natural disasters (46%), onboard working condition (35%), and pirate/robber attacks (19%). The study recommended that government safety inputs supplies, training to improve indigenous safety culture, thus to save the lives and livelihood improvement of the small-scale fishers of Bangladesh is emergent.

Despite the dangers of the sea, Sri Lankan fishermen continue to fish to meet market demand while maintaining a steady living. The goal of this study was to determine the hazards that Southeastern coast fishermen face at sea, as well as ways to mitigate those risks. Data was collected through focus group discussions on common occupational risks, causes of risks, and methods used to overcome them, awareness of risk-mitigating tactics and safety precautions, training needs of fishermen, and available technologies with authorities to avoid risk at sea from 40 fishermen, three fisheries inspectors from the Department of Fisheries, and two representatives from the Ampara district disaster management from June 2023 to December 2022. Hazards faced by fishermen include collisions with other boats, engine repairs in the middle of the ocean, the unintentional crossing of country boundaries, harsh weather conditions, fish assaults, minor injuries while fishing and the lack of mobile networks to inform risk on the sea. According to officials, fishermen’s inexperience and lack of understanding in using GPS equipment, conducting basic engine repairs in the event of failure, and performing first aid and lifesaving skills in the event of injuries are important contributors to causing injuries. Establishing vessel monitoring systems (VMS), providing satellite telephones, and installing navigation units on board, as well as designing and conducting training for fishermen on life-saving tactics, basic first-aid and rescue, basic boat repairing skills, operating GPS and fishery-related devices, and regulations, DO’s and DON’Ts at sea were identified as mitigation strategies.