Library
Underneath you'll find documents, tools, presentations, etc that can help you to improve the safety and health of fishers.
So far the website has no search option, but we hope to have this pratical tool soon incoorperated in the website.
09-06-2023 Fishing Safety Management Code, 2023
The Fishing Safety Management Code (FSM-Code) is the international standard developed by the FISH Platform for the safe management and operation of ships, and for managing pollution prevention. The FSM-Code sets safety management objectives and requirements for safety management systems in the fishing industry.
The FSM-Code can be downloaded by clicking here.
02-08-2022 Certified Course Rules of the road at sea for small-scale fishers
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations course introduces you to the maritime traffic rules that small-scale fishers in coastal and inland waters should know about. This “Rules of the road at sea” course provides guidance on actions to take in day-to-day traffic situations at sea, during daylight and at night.
Working in the fisheries sector is globally one of the most dangerous jobs, with an estimated 32 thousand fatalities annually and hundreds of thousands of accidents and injuries of crew on board of fishing vessels. Most of these accidents happen on board of small-scale fishing vessels, frequently resulting in disability and death among fishers.
Increasing knowledge and understanding of the maritime traffic rules will help to reduce accidents. Application of the maritime traffic rules is an important safety measure at sea.
You will learn about
IMO COLREGs and FAO/IMO/ILO fishing safety codes
The right of way in normal visibility and restricted visibility situations
Actions to be taken for altering course and passing at a safe distance
How to avoid collision at sea
Day-time and night-time vessel recognition
Channel markers used in various regions and the main buoys.
Course structure
The course consists of the following lessons ranging from 15 to 40 minutes duration each:
Lesson 1: Rules of the Road - General considerations
Lesson 2: Vessels in Sight of One Another
Lesson 3: Day-time Vessel Recognition: Shapes
Lesson 4: Night-time Vessel Recognition: Lights
Lesson 5: Navigation Light Combinations
Lesson 6: Channel Markers and Buoys
The course is available in four language versions
English - Rules of the road at sea for small-scale fishers - https://elearning.fao.org/course/view.php?id=704
Spanish - Reglas de tráfico marítimo para los pescadores en pequeña escala - https://elearning.fao.org/course/view.php?id=851
French - Règles de navigation en mer pour les pêcheurs artisanaux - https://elearning.fao.org/course/view.php?id=855
Chinese - Rules of the road at sea for small-scale fishers - https://elearning.fao.org/course/view.php?id=836
23-06-2017 European guide for risk prevention in small fishing vessels
This guide is designed to prevent risk for small fishing vessels and those working on them, so that both the vessels and their crews return safe and sound after a trip. Given that these vessels account for about 80% of the EU’s entire fishing fleet and that fatalities, injuries and lost vessels are at unacceptable levels, this guide is critical in preventing risks and protecting the wider fishing communities. The different modules in the guide focus on key areas, notably the vessel, the crew, fishing operations, real case events, risk assessment and additional information such as flotation devices, stability, first aid, work equipment and emergency drills. A glossary along with illustrations, photos and charts serve to highlight the important points in the guide, making it an extremely user-friendly reference.
The guide is free to download in the languages of the European Union by clicking on the image or at
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=7990&furtherPubs=yes
If you open de website you can select your preferable language underneath the image of the guide.
06-12-2016 Safety Guide for New Fishing Crew presented by Sunderland Marine and The North of England P&I Association
Sunderland Marine and The North of England P&I Association present a new ‘comic’ style loss prevention guide on fishing safety aimed at new joiners.
It is aimed at those new to the industry and is designed to supplement the training a new crew member should receive when joining a fishing vessel for the first time. Reading the book prior to joining could better prepare them and guide them on what questions to ask and what to look for when on board. The guide is not focused at any particular geographical area or type of fishing vessel. It aims to be as general as possible in order to make it relevant to the highest number of fishers.
It is free to download from Sunderland Marine’s website by clicking on the image.
08-09-2016 FISH Platform Syllabus on IMO STCW-F Basic Safety Training for All Fishing Vessel Personell
The IMO STCF-F code states in chapter 3 Basic Safety Training for all fishing vessel personnel, Regulation 1, section 1:
Fishing Vessel personnel shall, before being assigned to any shipboard duties, receive basic
training approved by the Administration in the following areas:
- Personal survival techniques, including donning of lifejackets and, as appropriate, immersion suits;
- Fire prevention and fire fighting;
- Emergency procedures;
- Elementary first aid;
- Prevention of marine pollution; and
- Prevention of shipboard accidents.
The FISH Platform was aware there was no guidance on the content of the STCW-F Basic Safety Training for All Fishing Vessel Personell. For this reason the FISH Platform develloped a Syllabus on IMO STCW-F Basic Safety Training for All Fishing Vessel Personell. This syllabus provides content to the modules mentioned in the STCW-F as described above and helps to create a level playing field concerning the Basic Safety training for All Fishing Vessel Personell.
You can download the Syllabus on IMO STCW-F Basic Safety Training for All Fishing Vessel Personell by clicking here.
18-02-2016 Presentation 'Food for Thought - The Common Fisheries Policy does it create sustainable fisheries?'
Presentation 'Food for Thought - The Common Fisheries Policy does it create sustainable fisheries? by Ment van der Zwan from Europêche concerning human rights in the fishing industry. The presentations questions whether the Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union is as sustainable as it is purported to be. The presentation gives an overview of relevant legislation and the position of the European Union and in particular the Common Fisheries Policy when it come to the protection of human rights of fishers.
Fisherman A Health Workshop Manual for working fishermen
Fishing is a tough job both mentally and physically. It is also demanding, often pushing you to the limit, definitely not for the faint hearted. Not surprising
then the need to be fit to fish, as a mistake can mean more than a bent fender. Problem is, it’s not always easy to look after your health. Fisherman
won’t teach you how to catch fish or avoid catching a cold. Fisherman is your manual for health at sea, home or port. It will help you brave heavy weather
and come out sailing. Keep it in the wheelhouse or galley, read it, follow the advice and the longer you’ll stay working at sea. Fisherman A Health Workshop Manual for working fishermen
Safety and health training manual for the commercial fishing industry in Thailand
This Manual has been developed in consultation with ILO, NFAT, and the OSH Bureau in the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, Ministry of Labour. Inputs were also provided by the Department of Fisheries, the Marine Department, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre (SEAFDEC), and the Foundation for AIDS Rights (FAR). The Manual first outlines the various hazards and risks in fishing, and then presents modules for addressing these – based on the participatory risk assessment approach. The training is targeted at skippers, crew supervisors and vessel owners – as well as members of fisheries associations at national and provincial levels, and is designed primarily for purse seine boats and trawlers. The training can be delivered through multiple partners and platforms, including with the support of NFAT as well as the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare and the Department of Fisheries.
Click for the link to the Safety and health training manual for the commercial fishing industry in Thailand.
The Free Safety Folder. Make managing your Fishing vessel easier with the online safety folder, it is easy to use and is now a part of the Seafish Safety Awareness course where you can get a free folder to put your printed documents into.
Easy Compliance
The website Safety Folder (click for link to the Safety Folder website) has been designed to help Fishing vessels comply with UK and European Maritime laws. To achieve this the system has referenced the relevant MCA M Notices and European Directives, this makes it much easier for you to comply with the Fishing safety laws.
Monthly and Annual Reminders
Each month you will receive an email to remind you of the routine tasks which should be completed onboard. This is especially useful for the smaller vessels where you may have your folder ashore. If a piece of equipment you have added is due a service or is about to expire you will get a warning in your monthly email.
Presentations seminar 'Safety in Seafisheries'
Underneath you will find the presentations of the speakers on the seminar 'Safety in Seafisheries' October 3rd 2013 in IJmuiden.By clicking on the name in the discription you start the download.
01 - Brand Wagner - The Work in Fishing Convention, 2006
02 - Flemming Nygaard Christensen - Web based management system
03 - Evert van Leeuwen - Maritime accident investigation in The Netherlands
04 - Gerard Kerkhof - Sleep and Sleep-Wake rhythmicity impact on (shift-) work
05 - Pim Visser - Influence of the discard ban to the organisation of labour aboard
06 - Ment van der Zwan - Safety at Sea in Fishing
Fishermen launch new film: Lifejacket : A Fisherman's Friend
Two Bridlington fishermen have made a short film to encourage their fellow fishermen to wear lifejackets whilst at sea. The two minute film, entitled Lifejacket: a fisherman's friend is available at http://youtu.be/shrIW8zqSqoThe decision to make the film came after a panel of experts* concluded that 26 fishermen could still be alive today had they been wearing a lifejacket when they were involved in an incident at sea (2007-11 figures). The Fishing Industry Safety Group (FISG), were so alarmed by the new statistic that they put the idea of a short film forward to fishermen Dylan Silverwood and Christopher Stewart. They then made the film, with some help from FISG members.
"I wouldn't like to go to sea without a lifejacket", says salmon fisherman Dylan Silverwood. "When you hit the water, you start gasping like a fish, so unless you've got your lifejacket on, you could be in real difficulties.
"If you're a fisherman, please watch our little film and consider buying a lifejacket and using it whenever you set to sea. It really is quite easy to wear one - a lifejacket isn't heavy or cumbersome - and it could save your life."
This is the first in a series of films that fishermen will be making about buoyancy wear for different types of fishing.
Source: MCA (13-01-2013) www.mcga.gov.uk
European Handbook for the Prevention of accidents at sea and the Safety of Fishermen
Language: Different EU languages
Social Partners in the Sea Fisheries sector have produced a handbook aimed at all European fishermen for the prevention of accidents and the enhancement of their safety.
The booklet is the result of a EU-funded study conducted by an expert team integrated by employers and unions’ representatives to ink the first ever harmonized guidelines for the safety of fishermen across Europe.
National guides and safety rules in the member states have been at the core of a major analysis that has now found its way into a European-wide information tool. In particular, the handbook steps in to fill the vacuum in many European countries that have so far lacked this kind of instrument for fisheries workers.
The handbook can be downloaded underneath:
European Safety Guide Fisheries - Arabic
European Safety Guide Fisheries - Dutch
European Safety Guide Fisheries - English
European Safety Guide Fisheries - Estonian
European Safety Guide Fisheries - French
European Safety Guide Fisheries - German
European Safety Guide Fisheries - Latvian
European Safety Guide Fisheries - Lithuanian
European Safety Guide Fisheries - Russian
European Safety Guide Fisheries - Slovenian
European Safety Guide Fisheries - Spanish
European Safety Guide Fisheries - Swedish
European Safety Guide Fisheries - Turkish
'Gearing up for Safety' - Safe Work Practices for Commercial Fishing in British Columbia
Language: English
Fish SAFE is a fishing industry program funded by the B.C. fishing industry and administered by the British Columbia Seafood Alliance. All programs are developed and driven by fishermen for fishermen for the purpose of reducing injuries and fatalities.
Gearing Up for Safety addresses many common safety and health hazards in the commercial fishing industry in B.C. waters. It is not meant to replace the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.
Gearing Up for Safety