Fishermen play a vital role in supporting thriving communities – every job created at sea means anywhere between 8-15 jobs on land.
As part of our 2026 safety campaign, we spoke to Neil McAleese, Head of Industry Workforce at Seafish, to discuss the crucial role risk management and community support play in encouraging safety at sea.
Stay tuned for more communities stories coming soon.
You are responsible for setting and maintaining health and safety standards on board your vessel. Regular risk assessments are an integral part of this and can help save lives.
There are new requirements for all vessels under 15m, under the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Code of Practice for the Safety of Small Fishing Vessels, which requires all small fishing vessels to pass stability checks.
Mandatory safety training is required to work on or skipper a fishing vessel. Information about what is required is on the Government website.
Regular refresher safety training is important too. There are courses across the UK for commercial fishing skippers and crew and funding may be available to cover the cost.