Fishers’ Safety: turning words into action

Where safety for the world’s 39 million fishers is concerned, the World Risk Poll doesn’t simply represent yet another report. It adds a layer of verifiable and vital evidence to a subject area that suffers from missing data, discrepancies, gaps and estimates. 

Fishers pursue the most dangerous peacetime profession. Estimates of global fisher fatalities vary from the UN figure of 80 deaths per day (29,200 per annum, as referenced in the new World Risk Poll report), up to 274 per day (100,000 per annum). The accidents are largely avoidable and often invisible.

Commercial fishing is physically demanding. In addition, there is increased competition in the sea space, for example from more renewable energy developments and growing leisure activity. Competition for ocean resources leads to displacement of fishers, and this all adds to the complex safety challenges that have been faced by fishers for generations.

A complex risk environment

Drowning is one obvious and significant risk when working on water. But there is a seemingly endless list of other risks fishers face which can lead or contribute to serious injury or death, including:

• working with heavy machinery on larger fishing vessels;
• the use of sharp tools and naked flames on smaller fishing vessels;
• working on often wet and unstable surfaces;
• exposure to nature’s cold water and weather conditions that can lead to hypothermia; 
• lack of adequate weather forecasting in a changing environment; 
• fatigue from working often long hours;
• equipment failures;
• chemical exposure;
• fire hazards;
• and the list goes on.

The many issues have been well rehearsed by UN agencies such as the International Maritime Organisation and International Labour Organisation, as well as national administrations. The result so far has been various International Conventions and Regulations focused on standards for training crew and maintaining large parts of the global fishing fleet. These regulations are often augmented by national legislation or, where coastal states have not yet ratified international conventions, they may seek to align with them through domestic legislation. Such initiatives are to be applauded. 

Yet these words need to be turned into actions. As far as fishers are concerned, the World Risk Poll confirms there remains a long way to go.

The Poll confirms that 73% of global fishers have not received any health or safety training concerning their work. To put it another way, 73% of fishers are not complying with international regulations. In fact, the World Risk Poll suggests that in some coastal states, zero fishers have received training.

An observation: safe fisheries and sustainable fisheries do go together. The sustainability of global fisheries and the health of our oceans have grabbed the public imagination, and much is being done to address this global challenge. Yet thankfully, there are some who do. These words are being turned into action. Lloyds Register Foundation has awarded significant financial support exactly where the World Risk Poll indicates that it is needed.

Investing in safer fishing

Lloyd’s Register Foundation is one of the three founding partners of the International Fund for Fishing Safety (IFFS). Together with The Seafarers’ Charity and the FISH (Fishing Industry Safety and Health) Platform (a world-leading group of commercial fishing safety experts), the Foundation launched the IFFS in January 2024.

The founding partners’ combined strengths and expertise is making a difference. As of September 2024, funding has been approved for six global safety projects targeted at fishers in Fiji, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam. These projects cover a diverse range of fisher safety related topics and provide essential tools designed to assist fishers to deliver an outcome focused on safety and health. Going forward, the World Risk Poll provides a tool to help ensure funding in targeted appropriately.

The financial assistance to enable fishers to upskill is clearly vital, but the dialogue these projects has stimulated amongst fishers at the international level, as well as with national administrations, is equally important. The IFFS and its founding partners not only strive to develop a safe, level playing field for fishers across the globe, but ultimately reduce accidents and save lives. Others are welcome to join the IFFS project.

Lloyd’s Register Foundation and its partners have tremendous ambitions for the IFFS. They should be congratulated for their vision. They are putting words into action.