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From this November, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) will require UK fishing vessels to comply with the International Organization’s Working In Fishing Convention. This follows the MCA's public and industry consultation on these measures, which addressed all aspects of living and working conditions on fishing vessels – including decent crew accommodation, work agreements and [...]
Scottish Fishermen’s Federation Safety Officer Derek Cardno is to be honoured with the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service. It is in recognition of his commitment to promoting safety within the industry, particularly leading a campaign to ensure fishermen across Scotland wear personal flotation devices (PFDs) while at sea. Mr Cardno, a working fisherman himself, [...]
Thirteen people who drowned in 2017 might be alive today had they been wearing a lifejacket or buoyancy aid. These are the findings of this year’s Casualty Review Panel. The panel, including Derek Cardno of the SFF, meets annually to discuss the previous year’s appropriate maritime fatalities and whether those who died might have survived [...]
Fishing remains the most dangerous peacetime occupation in the UK. This already hazardous job is made even more difficult by the 100,000 kilometres of cables and pipelines and 4,000 surface and subsea structures that lie off the coast of the UK and northern Europe. These obstacles frequently become hazards for fishing vessels; snagging fishing gear [...]
The UK’s fishing federations in conjunction with the MCA Fishing Safety team have together developed a Fishing Safety Management (FSM) System that will assist fishermen with the imminent implementation of a generational change to fishing safety legislation – the Work in Fishing Convention (ILO 188) aimed at creating a set of common worldwide standards for [...]
Some 3,500 personal flotation devices (PFDs) have been supplied to fishermen working on Scottish-registered boats, with the intention of increasing the usage of a flotation garment while working on the open deck. The successful four-year scheme, run by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), has now come to an end. Derek Cardno, SFF marine safety and [...]
A ground breaking new pilot training course for fishermen aimed at preventing man overboard incidents and improving survival and recovery procedures has just been completed at the RNLI’s Training College in Poole, Dorset. The RNLI, working in conjunction with the UK fishing industry, has developed the two-day training course to better reflect real-life sea conditions [...]
Following discussion at the most recent FISG Fishermen’s Training Project Group meeting in Southampton, it has been decided that, with immediate effect, only experienced fishermen who can provide evidence that they have been fishing for at least 60 days within the last two years will be eligible for funding towards the cost of any approved [...]
Following the recent publication of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch’s (MAIB) annual report, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) says that the accident statistics underline why fishermen must take advantage of safety training funds available from Seafish. According to the MAIB report, eight fishermen lost their lives in 2014, compared with four in 2013. The average [...]
The first phase of a ground-breaking pilot scheme to encourage young adults to consider a career in commercial fishing has been completed at the Scottish Maritime Academy in Peterhead. The cohort of twelve, many of whom have never set foot on board a fishing boat, have successfully finished the three week introductory and safety course [...]
