A new commercial fishing safety campaign is underway to reduce fatalities and accidents within the UK’s small fishing vessel fleet

Under-10-metre vessels make up around 64% of the UK’s fishing fleet, and data from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) shows that between 2007 and 2022, those working on vessels registered under-10 metres accounted for 45% of all fishing industry fatalities where the person ended up in the water. Some 47% of those fatalities on under-10-metre vessels were single-handed operators.  

The latest Home and Dry campaign from the Fishing Industry Safety Group features under-10-metre fishing vessel skippers from across the country reflecting on what they miss most when out at sea and what they do to get themselves ‘back home and dry’. The campaign is aiming to improve the safety culture in the fishing industry with adverts, posters and banners in fishing communities and on social media.