Recent tragedies, says the Federation, have focused minds to ensure that no stone is left unturned in ensuring that every possible measure is put in place to avoid any future loss of lives in the industry.

In this regard, FIF says it is fully committed to working with BIM, the Irish Coastguard and all other relevant Safety agencies.

The FIF has recently applied to the Irish Marine Search and Rescue Committee (IMSARC) to have representation from the Fishing Industry nominated on this committee.

The chairman of FIF, Mr Michael Walsh commented: "We believe that our participation will help address the practicalities of fishermen working on board Irish fishing vessels."

He added that although the practicalities of crew safety need to be addressed, in the interim, fishermen themselves need to take active responsibility with existing measures, such as the wearing of flotation devices at all times when working onboard fishing vessels.

He went on to outline one major issue the FIF would be actively pursuing, which is a requirement for all Irish Sea going fishermen to carry personal Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB) when working on board fishing vessels. This device, he said, would be far more efficient in helping the rescue services to locate a person in the water and give that person a far better chance of being picked up.

Mr Walsh also said that the FIF is fully committed to working with all relevant agencies on the entire issue of safety on board fishing vessels, and will leave no stone unturned in addressing issues such as onboard practicalities, funding of safety equipment and training of fishermen.

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

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