Drawing on previous surveys and country statistics, this report gives a regional overview of safety at sea, particularly for the small-scale fisheries sector. It notably focuses on vessel design, data recording, legislation and fisheries management.

These guidelines have been produced to support implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries with regard to safety at sea in the fisheries sector. Their purpose is to enable relevant authorities to develop and implement strategies aimed at improved safety, health and conditions of service at sea in capture fisheries and aquaculture operations. They apply to all commercial fishing activities, as well as activities at sea within the aquaculture sector. Furthermore, the principles therein, may also be applied to vessels engaged in fisheries research. However, while these guidelines are not directed at sport and recreational activities carried out within the aquatic environment, administrations responsible for such sectors may well take note of the safety and health issues therein. The guidelines contribute to Strategic Objective 5: Increase the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises.

This circular describes the fisheries accident management process. It contains guidelines for national agencies (competent authorities) involved in fisheries accident investigations. It provides competent authorities and their investigators with a structured approach to meeting their legislative requirements to record, investigate, analyse, and report on accidents in the fishing sector. These guidelines are based on international standards, models and lessons learned from various countries where similar accident management processes are in use. The draft guidelines were discussed and finalized at a Train - the - Trainer workshop on safety at sea for small-scale fishers in the Caribbean, which was attended by 30 professionals on safety at sea and fisheries from seven Caribbean countries and was held in Castries, Saint Lucia in January 2020. The fisheries accident management process outlined may also be useful for other regions, which have similar safety challenges and opportunities for safety improvements in fisheries. These guidelines are intended to apply to a wide range of undesired events, such as accidents involving minor and serious injuries, fatalities, vessel damage, incidents involving damaged equipment and near misses.

The actual Code of conduct is also available (1996) (ISBN 9251038341).