The Price of Fish? Price of Fish: Foreword two fore One of the - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Seafish 18 Logie Mill Logie Green Road Edinburgh EH7 4HS t: +44 (0)131 558 3331 f: +44 (0)131 558 1442 Seafish Origin Way Europarc Grimsby DN37 9TZ t: +44 (0)1472 252 300 f: +44 (0)1472 268 792 Seafish Fishgate William Wright Dock Hull HU1 2ET t: +44 (0)1482 486 480 f: +44 (0)1482 486 489 e: seafish@seafish.co.uk w: www.seafish.org SIN: http://sin.seafish.org Supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future The Price of Fish?

Price of Fish: Foreword two fore One of the world's most valuable resources The true price of fjsh Seafood is one of the world’s most of seafood and its socio-economic The next time you tuck into your fish and And since 1881 we have made it valuable natural resources. Today, it has importance are respected alongside chips or pick up a piece of plaice at the our business to provide emergency become the most widely traded of all a sustainable marine environment. supermarket, please spare a thought for and welfare support to fishermen and global resources in a world needing the men and women who catch the fish their families. more seafood than ever before. It is our absolute individual and collective and the families who wait at home for responsibility to provide leadership in the their safe return. It is our privilege to work with these Our ability to feed a hungry world is one efficient harvesting of those resources on unsung heroes to whom we all owe a debt of the biggest issues of the new century. which the seafood industry depends. This Fishing remains the UK’s most dangerous of gratitude. We should never forget the The seafood industry recognises the need responsibility extends to the protection of peacetime occupation. In ‘Images of price that our fishermen and their families to deliver a profitable and sustainable marine ecosystems and the sustainable Fishermen’ author Bui Tyril provides a vivid pay to put fish on our plates. future for everyone involved in the use of our marine resources. description of what he calls ‘no ordinary job’: seafood chain, from fishermen through to consumers. “Heaving and rolling at the mercy of the ocean while working under immense The seas have the potential to help feed pressure, often on wet and slippery decks our fast-growing population, with new with gears grinding, winches turning and developments in aquaculture contributing ropes hauling…” alongside wild catch. The threat of death and serious injury is The UK seafood industry is a world ever present. leader in effective fisheries management. We must ensure that the views of every JOHN RUTHERFORD At the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea CAPTAIN DAN CONLEY sector of the seafood industry are properly CHIEF EXECUTIVE Fishermen (the Fishermen’s Mission) we CHIEF EXECUTIVE represented in the debate around the SEAFISH are only too aware of the price men and FISHERMEN’S MISSION Marine Bill, so that the health benefits women pay to put fish on our plates. 3

Contents Foreword 3 The Price of Fish: pounds and pence 24 John Rutherford, Chief Executive, Seafish Austin Mitchell MP, Great Grimsby Captain Dan Conley, Chief Executive, Stewart Crichton, Orkney Fishermen’s Society Ltd Heaving and rolling at the mercy National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen The Price of Fish: seafood and health 28 of the ocean while working under The Price of Fish: risking lives at sea 6 Juliette Kellow, nutritionist immense pressure, often on wet Reverend Michael Hills, Chaplain to Hull fishing fleet Matt Dawson, former England rugby player and winner of Celebrity Masterchef 2006 The Price of Fish: fjshing and the environment 10 and slippery decks with gears grinding, Afterword 30 Simon Edwards, Marine Stewardship Council winches turning and ropes hauling… ” Barrie Deas, Chief Executive, National Federation The Price of Fish: stock levels 14 of Fishermen’s Organisations David Stevens, skipper of RFS certified vessel Crystal Sea Contact details 31 Bui Tyril, from ‘Images of Fishermen’ Dr Bill Karp, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Price of Fish: the future of food 20 Helga Josupeit, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Mitch Tonks, celebrity chef 4 5

THE PRICE OF FISH: Risking Lives at Sea Fishing at sea is probably the most What can be done to make fishing safer? dangerous occupation in the world- an estimated 24,000 deaths occur each year. Training • All fishermen complete basic safety The days when fishermen could go to sea training in sea survival, fire fighting, in any vessel, fish where and when they first aid, health and safety and safety wished, and land as much fish as they awareness. In addition, skipper, mates could catch have gone forever – but the and engineers working on larger dangers of fishing remain as great they as vessels are required to hold statutory they have always been. Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) 8,000 lives lost in Certificates of Competency According to the Marine Accident and Hull alone Investigation Bureau, the UK fishing • The MCA works closely with fishing industry experienced 180 fatal accidents federations to improve fishermen’s Hull knows the price of fish all between 1992 and 2006. These accidents safety through training too dearly. Our fishing community resulted in the death of 256 fishermen, has paid the price in the harshest with nearly a third of these fatalities Risk assessment possible way with more than 8,000 attributed to fishermen going overboard. • Safety awareness training provides men lost to the sea. This is a vibrant, fishermen will an understanding of the hardened community that shares The average rate of 126 deaths per fundamentals of risk assessment the hardships of its men at sea, 100,000 fishermen each year is many understanding the constant anxiety times higher than that for other areas • Continued improvements in risk that affects their families – as well within the UK workforce. assessment contribute to the reduction as the uncertain wages. in the number of accidents that lead to With over 300 accidents involving fishing injuries and fatalities In the dark winter of 1968, having vessels reported in 2007, safety and lost three trawlers and crews in training are vital. • Vessel surveys and inspections have now as many weeks, women of this become standard for all fishing vessels community campaigned nationally for greater safety at sea. Despite Life saving appliances opposition, they won and we remain • Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) in their debt. Do not ask to know are still one of the most important forms the true price of fish. It is paid for in of lifesaving equipment men’s lives.” • Personal Locator Devices are now REVEREND MICHAEL HILLS readily available to provide fishermen CHAPLAIN TO HULL FISHING FLEET with a means of being found. 6 7

THE PRICE OF FISH: RISKING LIVES AT SEA UK fjshermen are Number of incidents, lost vessels and fatalities involving UK fishing vessels subject to a fatal 600 accident rate 24 times higher than construction workers. 500 400 Number 300 200 100 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Year Total incidents Vessel losses Fatalities* Sources: Maritime and Coastguard Agency Marine Accident Investigation Branch * Number of crew deaths on UK registered fishing vessels. 8 9