Safe practices for sampling commercial trawler catches at sea

Fisheries scientists need accurate data about total catch. If the data are to include fish discarded at sea the scientists must sail with commercial f ishing vessels to sample catches as they arrive on the deck. Commercial fis hing is dangerous. In 1996, 20 fishers were killed and 26 vessels were lost in the UK alone. Trawling is considered most dangerous because of the freq uent handling of heavy equipment. Catch sampling officers (CSOs) permitted by fishers to sail opportunistically on routine fishing trips are not in a position to demand high standards of marine safety as they might if the ves sel were chartered. UK health and safety laws require the employer to ensur e that all possible risks to staff are minimised, as far as is reasonably p racticable. Therefore, when the English North Sea catch sampling study comm enced in 1996, attention was given to the safety equipment, training and or ganisation needed to protect CSOs at sea. The resulting safety procedures a nd equipment are detailed in this note. Although tailored for UK legislatio n and climate, they may be a helpful starting point in other countries also . (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.