Fisheries Management Safety Implications – Robert Greenwood, NFFO Safety and Training Officer
23 October 2017
It is fair to say that impact on safety of fishing vessels at sea has not generally been to the forefront when Government has contemplated new fisheries legislation. In retrospect, however, it has been possible to discern that management measures can carry with them direct and significant adverse safety implications, as an unintended consequence of those decisions.
In particular, we have seen the size and shape of fishing vessels change, and vessels used for purposes that they were not designed for, in the wake of, and to adapt to new legislation.
This note is a plea for safety considerations to be an integral part of the process of designing fisheries management measures, not an afterthought.
