Risk Wise

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• Rules and regulations for design, construction and equipment of

fishing vessels in the small-scale fisheries sector adapted and

amended from the FAO/IMO/ILO draft voluntary guidelines,

presented in a form that is easily understood by the small-scale

boat building industry

• Integration of Safety at Sea as an important element of fishery

management.

Besides the above, the programme is also addressing the issues of

design, construction and equipment of small fishing vessels, which

will be suitably adapted to enable fishing vessels to meet safety stan-

dards. The reporting and analysis of accidents at sea, assistance in the

planning of distress response and vessel/shore communication

systems, and the initiation of a dialogue with member governments

to integrate sea safety measures are also part of a holistic fishery

management programme that is being addressed to build

the capacities and resilience of small-scale fishers in the

region.

The fisheries sector has substantial social and

economic importance in the South Asian countries.

Improving the safety and health of fishers can better

their quality of life and also contribute to the well being

of the family and future generations. The Chennai

Declaration recognized that the problem of safety at sea

is not insurmountable, and it now appears that govern-

ments and other stakeholders are more appreciative of

the sea safety requirements of the fishers, and are grad-

ually moving toward an improved and holistic regime

of fisheries management, which also takes into account

the safety needs of small-scale fishers.

Bangladesh

• Open access management regime

leading to overexploitation reducing

overall profitability of operations,

affects investment in safety related

equipment or safety orientation

activities

• Need to coordinate and harmonize

the regulatory environment

• Need to upgrade mechanical

installations to replace the use of

tube well engines

• Upgrading of communication

equipment on artisanal vessels

• Risks associated with the economic

structure of the industry

• General need to upgrade fishermen

safety training and awareness

• Issues of concern:

• Weak enforcement of all safety

and operator competency

standards

• Fishing gear conflicts

• Cyclone related risks

• Piracy

• No reporting mechanism exists.

India

• A need to harmonize resource

management framework between

the respective states with a view to

reducing conflicts amongst adjacent

resource users

• A need to develop and strengthen

the enforcement of the requirement

to carry a minimum level of safety

related equipment on all vessels

• Development of low cost safety

equipment for use on small scale

vessels

• Need to promote the expanded use

of communication equipment at sea,

together with training in its proper

use

• Increased dialogue between Sri

Lanka and India, with a view to

reducing unacceptable levels of risk

and detainment of fishers

• Continuing assessment of resource

management instruments to

determine their impact on the socio-

economic structure of coastal

communities and associated levels

of safety

• Potential for the development of

informal community based search

and rescue activities in an auxiliary

coastguard model

• Attention to development and

enforcement of safety related

competency standards

• Attention to communication and

community participation in disaster

prevention

• Data collection mechanism

established but needs streamlining

to make it effective.

Maldives

• Few inherent risks in the artisanal

sector

• Fishing environment not

particularly hostile and good

forecasting systems prevail

• Traditional boat building evolved to

suit the sea conditions

• Appropriate standards for safety

equipment introduced recently

• High percentages of boats carry

either VHF or radios and GPS

• Administrative structures for

regulation and enforcement in

place. All agencies well familiar

with sea safety issues but are

under-resourced

• Coordinated efforts to expand

fisheries training and increase

safety awareness

• Few fatalities in the fisheries

sector. Reporting fairly well-

developed

• Issues of concern:

• New fleet growing rapidly with no

regulations for design approval,

construction and outfit

standards, or operator

certification standards

• Unregulated use of propane to

fuel fishing lights

• Use and onboard fuelling of

small gasoline engines to drive

spray pumps

• Improper use of SCUBA gear.

Sri Lanka

• Pro-active policy environment,

supported by widely experienced

professional and technical

capability

• Sea safety is recognized as a

serious policy issue

• Community based resource

management models are being

piloted and evaluated

• Monitoring in regulation of fishing

effort and activity appears to be

weak

• No standards for fishing vessel

operator training or competency

certification

• SAR capability most effective at the

community level

• Environmental forecasting

capability sound and effectively

distributed. Risks and improper use

of fishing vessels associated with

the civil conflict in the northern and

eastern part of the country

• Increased conflicts between

traditional and introduced vessels

• Issues of concern:

• Need to develop design/safety

standards for multiday vessels

• Need to improve the engineering

and navigational skills of the

operators of the multiday boats

• Need to improve the level of

communication equipment,

operator training, operator radio

discipline, and assignment of an

emergency radio channel for

fishermen

• Need to channel safety training

and awareness through

community organizations

• Need to address issues of

surveillance mechanism on

fatalities/accidents at sea.

Summary of factors affecting sea safety for artisanal and small-scale fishermen in the BOBP-IGO countries

Source: BOBP, 2001: Sea Safety of Artisanal and Small-scale Fisheries (Unpublished report submitted by FAO/BOBP Consultant, Mr Roger James Pearson)