The UK fishing industry has had a horrific year in terms of its toll of lives lost at sea. Nine fishermen have lost their lives in the first six months of this year, compared to seven in the whole of 2015, as has been laid out in the MAIB Annual Report for 2015.
The MAIB’s Annual Report for 2015 comes as Seafish also warns that the summer months (June to September) are when commercial fishermen are more likely to suffer non-fatal accidents leading to major injury when working at sea. The widespread perception is that these accidents are more likely to happen during bad weather during the winter months.
In light of this, Seafish is calling on the fishing industry to be vigilant all year round when it comes to the health and safety of crew on board commercial fishing vessels.
Research carried out by the Health & Safety Laboratory (HSL) for RNLI in partnership with Seafish and the MAIB, has found that a third (33%) of non-fatal, major injury events are likely to occur from June to September, in calm seas and when there is good light and visibility. The research also found that more than half of commercial fishermen (55%) surveyed said they had suffered injuries while operating fishing gear and other machinery. Typical injuries include amputations and fractures.
In a bid to reduce the number of fatal and debilitating accidents, Seafish is calling for all owners, skippers and crew to review their working practices and take steps to remove or reduce risks and adopt safer working practices. Crew training records can be checked and verified with Seafish, but training should be regularly refreshed. Seafish is also encouraging the wearing a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) when working at sea. These are still available for free from Seafish (for fishermen in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and in Scotland from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation.
‘The number of fatal accidents and serious injuries happening in our fishing industry is unacceptable,’ stated Seafish Head of Safety and Training Simon Potten.
‘I know many fishermen watch the Deadliest Catch, which shows some pretty scary fishing in Alaska, but last year the Alaskan commercial fishing industry had zero deaths. The ‘Deadliest Catch’ is right here in the UK with nine deaths to date this year. It’s a horrific record.’
Jerome McCartan is an experienced fisherman from Warrenpoint in County Down. Earlier this year he was working on the fishing vessel Carraig Chuin when she sank off the coast of Kilkeel. The vessel sprung a leak and started to go down very quickly. The crew of three were rescued by the Coastguard.
‘It started off as a normal day, trawling about twenty miles south-east of Kilkeel and the weather was fine,’ he recalled. ‘The first sign of a potential problem was some water in the bilges – this wasn’t unusual on a wooden fishing boat but as a precaution the skipper made sure the crew donned their lifejackets. In an instant, mild concern turned to panic and I was suddenly in the water.’
‘The water was icy cold and I quickly began to lose consciousness. I was 25 minutes in the water and near death through hypothermia when help arrived. It all happened so quickly and I wouldn’t be here to tell the tale if I hadn’t been wearing a lifejacket.’
Over the coming weeks, Seafish will be providing safety packs to commercial fishermen in the UK as part of its Sea You Home Safe campaign. The packs will provide ways in which fishermen can reduce the risk of accidents on board, as well as providing information on what training is available (including funded training) and how to apply for a free PFD.
‘It’s widely understood that fishing is the most dangerous peacetime occupation and as a result, even more training, care and consideration should be taken in preparation for working out at sea,’ Simon Potten continued. ‘It may be surprising that non-fatal accidents are more likely to happen during the summer months, but this is the time when most fishermen are out at sea, working hard to make a living. Tiredness, fatigue and complacency can easily creep up. We need to be taking real action all year round to ensure we are keeping our fishermen safe at sea.’
‘There is a wealth of safety knowledge and expertise available to draw on. In addition to Seafish and its network of Approved Training Providers, fishermen can get information, advice, guidance and support from organisations including the MCA, MAIB, RNLI, Fishermen’s Federations, the Fishermen’s Mission and Seafarers UK. So I would urge all owners, skippers and crew to get in touch and see what support is available.’
