An innovative scheme set up by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) is quickly improving safety at sea as the 1,000th free lifejacket is handed out.
Of the 1,000 Scottish fishermen who have received lifejackets, around 80% have also opted for free instruction sessions on how to use them.
The SFF says this has helped to educate and stimulate discussion amongst fishing crews on the importance of safety at sea.
"The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation is dedicated towards the promotion of a safer industry, not only for our members but for every fisherman in Scotland," Derek Cardno, safety officer, SFF told World Fishing and Aquaculture.
“Our fishermen have an incredibly challenging and often dangerous job in putting the seafood on our plates and every year a number of men will fall into the sea. In such situations, these personal flotation devices (PFDs) can offer fishermen a second chance if worn.”
“Despite the good level of uptake so far, there are still many fishermen who haven’t yet registered their interest for a free PFD, and we are urging those who haven’t yet done so to make an application,” he added.
The scheme has funding available for the supply of up to 5,000 PFDs and is supported by Marine Scotland, RNLI, RNMDSF, Ocean Safety and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Special ‘roadshow’ events have already been held in a number of Scottish ports to hand over the PFDs to the fishermen and provide instruction sessions on their use. More of these events are planned for the future.
To qualify for a free PFD, fishermen need to process their full mandatory certification and the fishing licence on their vessel must be administered by Marine Scotland.
Fishermen who hold a certificate of competency or service, or who have completed the risk assessment/safety awareness course, are also eligible to receive a free PFD.
The application form can be downloaded here.
