The new safety campaign trying to prevent deaths in the fishing industry
A new safety campaign is trying to lower the fatality rate in the fishing industry.
Organisers say ‘Home and Dry’ shines a light on the fishing heroes in the UK keeping seafood on plates throughout the COVID-19 crisis and urges them to get back to port safely.
The campaign, led by The Fishing Industry Safety Group (FISG), highlights a day at sea and the simple steps a skipper and his crew take every day to ensure they return home safely to their loved ones:
The campaign comes as many fishing crews across the UK are returning to sea following weeks of lockdown and challenging market conditions to sell their catch.
Dave Driver, a Brixham skipper featured in the campaign, says he is "constantly thinking about my safety and the safety of my crew".
The FISG says commercial fishing supports around 12,000 workers on board vessels across the UK.
But the Marine Accident Investigation Branch's 2019 data shows six fishermen died last year.
It says while this number appears low, given the small numbers of professional fishermen it represents, it is a very high fatality rate compared to other UK industries.
The campaign is asking families, friends, coastal communities, and anyone who likes to enjoy fish for their dinner, to take a moment to consider the safety of the nation’s fishing crews and say thank you by sharing the campaign to encourage more safety at sea.
Dave says he "lost a very good friend at sea once, they never found his body”.
“Watching his Mum go through that was really hard. I never want my family or the family of my crew to ever experience pain like that. I wanted to be involved in the Home and Dry campaign because I want to show other fishermen that there are simple steps they can take to be safe at sea.
Brian Johnson, Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Chair of FISG, says "Family and loved ones are important to us all."
"Many of our fishing crews have continued to go to work throughout the pandemic to provide delicious seafood to our plates. No one wants to see people lose their lives to do this.