Disaster Management in Fisheries

8.1.2 Sea safety

Safety for fishermen should not only be addressed through government activities, such as regulations and guidelines, but also through grassroots activities. There must be a holistic approach where governments and regional bodies coordinate their activities with grassroots activities among fishermen, villages and schools, etc. Safety for fishermen and fishing vessels should always be an integral part of these projects: fisheries livelihoods, coastal vulnerability, climate change and integrated coastal zone management. It is a crosscutting issue and should always be seen from a holistic perspective.

Fishermen and the fishing village communities must take part in safety for fishermen initiatives. A participatory approach is needed in order to reach out to fishermen with the safety message. The involvement and commitment by local communities are vital for the success of the work. The continuous work towards improving safety for fishermen can be illustrated in the safety management cycle. Variations of this management cycle can be found in safety management documentation. The cycle aims to provide information from the accidents at sea reporting system to input into the safety management system in order to improve safety for fishermen. It also reflects the important holistic approach, involving all the stakeholders.

The responsibility for the safety aspect in the fisheries sector is very often shared between the governmental body for fisheries and the maritime organization. The maritime organization has normally the mandate for safety at sea, and most likely manages the safety of large vessels, usually of 24 m in length and over. The fisheries department or ministry normally focuses on fishery resources and does not necessarily consider safety its mandate. One of the first steps towards improving safety for fishermen is to obtain the collaboration of these two governmental bodies and their understanding that both are responsible for safety for fishermen.