The latest Home and Dry campaign from the Fishing Industry Safety Group (FISG) turns the spotlight on reducing capsize incidents.

Derek Cardno, Marine Safety and Training Officer at the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and a member of FISG, said:

“We have lost too many lives to fishing over the years and our hearts go out to the families and communities that continue to be devastated by these losses. We know the industry have had a tough couple of years with the impact of the pandemic which may be leading to some people taking more risks.

“The Home and Dry campaign has been running for 18 months and the campaign is making those who see it and engage with it more safety-conscious.

“Our last campaign on Man Overboard motivated them to buy new safety equipment which is great. But we need to do more to reach more vessel owners and skippers and get them to prioritise safety.

“Your catch is worthless if you are not coming home with it.”

Ten commercial fishermen in the UK have tragically lost their lives in accidents at sea this year, making it the highest number of deaths in a decade, according to data from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB). This compares to just 2 deaths in 2020 and double the yearly average over the past 5 years.

Today, 9th December, the Fishing Industry Safety Group (FISG) has launched its latest Home and Dry campaign for the fishing industry with advice on how to reduce the risk of capsizing. This follows recent campaigns on wearing Personal Flotation Devices and avoiding falling overboard in its goal to make the UK fishing industry safer with zero preventable deaths on fishing vessels.

The Fishing Industry Safety Group (FISG), is a group of fishing industry organisations, charities, public bodies and regulators set up to improve the safety of commercial fishing at sea.

The Home and Dry campaign on stability awareness is asking skippers and fishing vessel owners to educate themselves about stability on their fishing vessel and to do their own stability and freeboard checks this winter.

Derek Cardno added:

“Stability is now regulated as part of the new code for small vessels under 15m, so the latest campaign is focused on how to keep vessels stable at sea and reduce the risk of capsizing.

“We are highlighting the causes of stability issues at sea and giving clear guidance on how you can do your own stability checks on your vessel. It is important that anyone working on a fishing vessel understands what the dangers are and how to fix them.”

FISG has produced guidance for the fishing industry on checking stability which is available on the Home and Dry website (www.homeanddry.uk). This includes videos on how to do a roll test and measure their freeboard, and easy-to-understand animations detailing the main factors that can impact stability on a vessel.

Stability Awareness training courses are also available across the UK with funding available to cover the cost of the course.  

All the stability information is available on www.homeanddry.uk including links to videos and other safety resources.