Blog Post

Why is the UK fishing industry now one of the most dangerous?

  • By Clare Ebison
  • 25 Nov, 2016

Deadliest Catch

Commercial fishing is certainly not a job for the faint hearted. Crew are at the mercy of the weather, out at sea and miles from home.

The UK's fishing fleet is suffering from one of its deadliest periods in a decade with more deaths recorded here than in Alaskan waters where reality TV show the 'Deadliest Catch' is filmed. 
A total of nine fishermen lost their lives at sea in the first six months of this year in six different incidents. An unacceptably high price being paid by the fishermen and their families.

Despite the UK's long fishing tradition and the abundance of regulations in place, in 2012 nine fishing vessels were lost and six crew members died in British seas, according to statistics published by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). The number of people injured came to 50, with machinery failure accounting for the largest number of reported incidents

The sad reality is that despite the development of technology, legislation and more precise and detailed weather forecasts, fishing still poses a great number of hazards, even when the crew are just getting on with their daily activities. 

Basic precautionary measures to help avoid and control accidents should focus on preventing falls overboard, promoting a more widespread use of personal floatation devices and, importantly, reducing stress. These are measures that everyone onboard can help with.
The operation of small vessels and trawling net maneuvers in hazardous weather and sea conditions will however always remain a risky one.

There are ongoing efforts to improve safety at sea and a number of agencies keep working to help improve crew training and tackle persistent problems, such as fishermen’s reluctance to put on lifejackets while carrying out routine work.

Accident investigation

Every year, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) receive between 1,500 and 2,000 incident reports, of which 40 to 50 become full investigations with published reports. The choice of which incidents are investigated is made on the basis of the scope of the safety lessons that may be learned.

In 2012, 30 reports were published by the MAIB. For example, in March, there was a collision between the cargo vessels Seagate and Timor Stream, 24 nautical miles north of the Dominican Republic. All 20 of Timor Stream’s crew and all 21 people aboard Seagate were unharmed, but the accident led to 3,300 gallons of diesel fuel and about 1,500 gallons of lubrication oil leaking from Seagate into the ocean

In the same month, the coaster Union Moon and the passenger ferry Stena Feronia collided at the Fairway Buoy at the mouth of Belfast Lough. In May 2012, Purbeck Isle sank, killing all three on board; the following September trawler Sarah Jayne capsized, resulting in one crew member dying. The subsequent investigations concluded that the sinking of the Purbeck Isle and the Sarah Jane was due to excessive vessel loading.

Lifelong lessons
Training is key in reducing the number of accidents at sea. Crew need to keep their knowledge up to date, share information both with the authorities and among themselves and use the latest available technology to improve safety.
Man overboard
Many fishermen are reluctant to wear their lifejackets while on board due to the fact that they can be bulky and awkward to work with. Since ‘man overboard’ (the situation where a person needs rescuing after falling into the sea from a boat) is still the biggest cause of fatalities, there is now a scheme in place to supply every UK fisherman with a personal floatation device (PFD). PFDs are designed to be lightweight and easy to wear, without impeding the movements required by a fisherman while on deck. This scheme is funded by a number of European and UK organisations.
Clare Ebison onboard the Mary Ann Hepworth, Whitby's old lifeboat
If this article has rung some alarm bells and you'd like some help to make positive changes and protect your workers from paying the ultimate price, click here to get in contact or call on 07765012152.
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