As The Navigator’s loyal readers are aware, each year, the May issue is devoted to highlighting the ongoing issues involving safety in the fishing industry.
As this magazine has pointed out time and time again, commercial fishing has been and continues to be one of the most dangerous industries in the world. The United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates, up to 24,000 fishermen die every year in accidents on fishing vessels. That is more than 10 times as many as in merchant and passenger shipping.
However, a recent study is challenging that number, stating that more than 100,000 fishing-related deaths are occurring each year — nearly 300 fishers die each day — a much higher estimate than all previous assessments.
According to research from the FISH Safety Foundation (FSF), commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts, it was found that the significant death toll disproportionately affects low-income fish harvesters — including children forced into labour — and is predominantly driven by dangerous working conditions and unsafe vessels.
The FSF study identified several factors responsible for fisher mortality, including poverty, geopolitical conflict, overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and climate change.
IUU is a significant driver, particularly as the demand for fish protein increases globally.
The FSF stated that “industrial illegal operators cut corners and ignore safety rules while contributing to the overexploitation of highly profitable catch. This in turn drives what has been identified as IUU by necessity, in which small-scale, artisanal fishers are driven to break rules or take part in unregulated, dangerous activities as it becomes more difficult to find fish. These conditions are exacerbated by climate change and the changing distribution of fish stocks.”
Eric Holliday, chief executive of FSF, said, “It has been widely speculated that fisher mortality estimates have undercounted and hidden the danger of fishing. Our analysis is the first of its kind and conclusively shows that a lack of transparency in the fishing industry endangers lives by obscuring the full picture of what occurs on vessels or at fishing grounds, making it difficult for governments to set effective policies to improve safety. While we may never be able to pinpoint an exact number of fisher deaths, this should serve as a wake-up call to governments, telling them that in order to save lives, urgent action — informed by better reporting and sharing of mortality data — is needed.”
The study urges action on multiple fronts.
“Domestically, more needs to be done to implement fisher safety measures and address key drivers. Given the disproportionate levels of fatality in low-income communities, financial support and capacity building are urgently needed. Internationally, improved data collection, transparency and information-sharing efforts will help governing bodies better understand the problems fishers face, more accurately quantify additional risks presented by IUU fishing and adopt policies for stronger vessel safety measures.”
There are also existing international regulatory frameworks available that are designed to stop illegal fishing and protect fishers.
“Specifically, countries should ratify and implement the Cape Town Agreement, adopted by the International Maritime Organization in 2012, which sets safety standards for the construction and design of fishing vessels, implement the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures, which works to prevent illegally caught fish from entering the seafood supply chain and continue implementation of the 2007 ILO Work in Fishing Convention C188, which sets standards for living conditions onboard vessels at sea. Member States of regional fishery management organizations should also set clear policies that strengthen efforts to fight IUU fishing and overfishing,” the FSF report outlined.
Thankfully, closer to home, the commercial fishing industry is much more regulated, with safety at the forefront of those prosecuting the numerous fisheries off our shores.
But despite all of the advances, through both regulatory improvements and new safety technology, accidents and tragically fatalities continue to occur each year in Canadian waters.
In 2023, a total of 1,031 marine transportation occurrences (accidents and incidents) were reported to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), a decrease of 15 per cent from the previous year (1,212).
Of these occurrences, a total of 237 were marine accidents (199 shipping accidents and 38 accidents aboard ships), a slight decrease from 2022 (244) and eight per cent below the five-year average (258). Sixty-six of these accidents involved commercial fishing vessels, a decrease from the previous year (74) and below the five-year average (82).
Nine of the 237 accidents were fatal, resulting in 18 fatalities. Ten of these fatalities were from five accidents within the Canadian commercial fishing industry.
Additionally, 794 marine incidents were reported, which is a decrease from 2022 (968) and below the five-year average (925). Most reportable incidents (80 per cent) were categorized as “total failure of machinery or technical system.”
Every time the TSB investigates an occurrence, it issues findings as to the causes and contributing factors. But many of these factors are bigger than any one event: they are systemic problems, which need systemic solutions. Concerns also remain about issues such as vessel modifications and their impact on stability, the use and availability of lifesaving equipment, regulatory oversight and the impact of fishery resource management plans and practices on the overall safety of fishing vessels.
It would be naive to think that even with continued training, equipment and regulatory improvements, the element of danger will ever be eliminated from the fishery. But perhaps more attention should be focused on fundamental industry changes that might heighten safety risk factors.
As our multi-billion-dollar industry continues to evolve, the safety and well-being of the harvesters also has to be a critical component of this evolution. History has demonstrated to us that major industry shifts have created more risk to fishermen. Let’s learn from that experience. While all stakeholders are planning for the fishery of the near future, let’s ensure safety is paramount through all of these conversations.
