Fishing Safety, Medicals & Training Webinar
Today we hosted our first webinar of the year! Thanks to everyone who joined us, we enjoyed hearing about your own stories and experiences.
We shared some sobering statistics on fishing safety, highlighting the alarming fatality rates among fishermen. Catch up on the recording below to hear about the importance of fishing medicals and safety measures onboard in 2024, we all have a crucial part to play in keeping everyone safely onboard. You can also scroll down for all the useful links and takeaways. Get in touch if you have any questions: ukwomeninfisheries@gmail.com.
Safety and medicals
Clive Palfrey joined us from Seafood Cornwall Training, sharing the latest on fishing safety and medicals. Clive explained:
The importance of medical examinations for fishermen, explaining the different types. You can have your say through the open consultation here on the MCA pages on gov.uk.
The significance of safety folders containing essential documents like risk assessments, vessel operating procedures, crew qualifications, and emergency procedures.
The emphasis on crew involvement in creating and maintaining safety folders to ensure safety awareness and compliance.
The alarming fatality rates from drowning caused by man overboard incidents, capsizing, overloading, poor maintenance, and lack of safety equipment.
Safety training and prevention measures are important for mitigating risks for different types of fishing including self-shooting systems, scallop dredging, beam trawling, and trawling.
Doing evaluations and improving safety measures help you to respond to risks and support the well-being of fishermen at sea.
Rachael’s vessel safety management experience
During the webinar, Rachael shared her journey into the family fishing business, which began when her parents established Amethyst Fishing Company in 2002. Despite initially pursuing a career in law, she joined the company in 2017, now managing administrative tasks and accounts. Rachael discussed the evolution of their fleet, emphasizing the importance of thorough paperwork for regulatory compliance and safety. She highlighted the importance of anticipating the checks made by regulatory bodies like the MCA and why her role behind the scenes helps to ensure the business's smooth operation.
Funding and training opportunities
Lowena Poole joined us from Fishing Animateur, who support fishermen and fisherwomen all over the UK to access government grant funding. All current funds will close by March 2025, and all projects must be completed and claimed by this date. For more information: www.fishinganimateur.co.uk
Seafish training grant: We also discussed training for fishing roles and the Seafish and STCW courses. Once a female fisherman has all their basics they are eligible for a training grant from Seafish and they can apply through the approved specialist training providers all around the UK. The training grant scheme covers many courses for the development of fishing and maritime qualifications.
More health and wellbeing services who can help:
Text FISH to 85258 for 24/7 text support, specific to fishermen and run by SHOUT
Togetherall offers a free online service 24/7 for all fishermen and women in the UK
Home & Dry have some brilliant ‘how to’ safety tips videos on Instagram, and a safety poster you can order for your office or wheelhouse.
Seafish and the RNLI are running a series of free one-day Man Overboard events across the UK. The next event is in Poole on the 27th and 28th March. Find your nearest event and register here.