The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Plea to help save lives of fishermen
Backing for safety measures as figures show risks
The partner of a man who was drowned at sea has urged fishermen to get behind new safety measures in a bid to save lives.
Latest figures show that more than 46 people died aboard creel and small fishing vessels over the last 10 years, making it one of the highest-risk jobs in the UK.
Improvements have been made in response, including on the wearing of life jackets.
Now the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is carrying out a consultation on a series of further requirements to be added to its code of practice.
A roadshow to discuss them will visit Mallaig next week.
One devastated woman, who did not wish to be named, said all new measures had to be accepted and adopted fully by fishermen.
She said: “When my partner died I was furious with him – because he would still be alive if only he had put on a life jacket.
“No amount of anger will bring him back.
“I think that more pressure has to be put on fishermen to wear life jackets, and they need to be careful when they are shooting out creels or loading them into the boat. That way fewer people will die at sea.
“I don’t know how you can make men put on life jackets and take full precautions before they go out at sea, but they should,” she said.
“Life is hell without him. His children are growing up without him.”
She also called for the introduction of random drug and alcohol testing.
A spokesman for the MCA said: “Over the last 10 years 46 people have died on fishing vessels of less than 50 feet, so the Marine Accident Investigation Branch have made several recommendations to improve safety and make the water a safer place for all fishermen.
“To address some of these recommendations, the MCA have been developing a new code of practice for small fishing vessels. The code proposes new requirements for all vessels.”
Kate Forbes, the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and
Badenoch, is urging fishermen and their families to take part in the consultation.
She said: “Fishing remains one of the most dangerous jobs in Scotland and we all want to reduce fatalities and accidents at sea.
“Too often lives are lost and it is important that requirements are meaningful so that they are implemented by fishing crews.”
The consultation event takes place at Mallaig’s RNLI Lifeboat Station, at the village harbour, on Wednesday October 30, between 1-4pm.
“He would still be alive if only he had put on a life jacket”
No one in this part of the world is under any illusions about the merciless nature of the sea. The waves cannot be tamed and so fishing will always carry with it a significant degree of risk.
We are all too often reminded of the dangers when those who make their living in boats find themselves in trouble.
And of course it is a safer occupation now than ever before, thanks to new technology and the painful lessons drawn from tragic accidents.
Still though lives are lost, and far too many of them as the grim official records lay bare.
So there can be no excuse for not doing everything possible to minimise the chances of someone else paying the ultimate price.
In that context, the new code of practice being drawn up by those responsible for maritime safety should be welcomed by all.
Resistance to change is perhaps inevitable, not least where it appears to interfere with long-established working practices.
That is why it is vital that those directly affected are fully involved in devising, and more importantly enforcing, safety improvements.
Nothing less is owed either to lifeboat crews or the heartbroken widow who pleads for just that in these pages today.
“Nothing less is owed either to lifeboat crews or the heartbroken widow who pleads for just that in these pages”