It is never easy to discuss the tragedy that is a death at sea.
In the wake of some of the worst storms seen on these isles for years, it is more important than ever that Scottish fishermen continue to make safety at sea a priority.
The safety of fishermen is of great importance for Seafish, and we are offering free safety refresher training to all eligible fishermen.
While there are many factors which contribute to the safety of fishermen, there does seem to be a correlation between safety training and the number of accidents and deaths reported by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).
According to the MAIB’s annual report for 2012, there were eight deaths among fishing crew in 2011 and six in 2012.
More than 500 training places have been delivered in Scotland through our safety refresher training project since it started in September 2011.
While not quite matching a strong safety performance in 2010, the number of injuries involving fishermen in 2011 and 2012 was lower than in each of the years from 2003 to 2009.
Thanks to funding from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, fishermen have the opportunity to voluntarily re-attend basic safety training free of charge before March 31.
These courses, covering sea survival, firefighting, first aid and safety awareness, are suitable for experienced fishermen who completed their mandatory basic safety training more than three years ago.
They have been revised during the past three years and now include, for the first time, both knowledge and practical assessments.
Fishermen who have attended the updated courses have told us how they were later able to use what they learned in very difficult situations at sea.
Anyone interested in taking part should contact their local Seafish- approved training provider, or myself at Richard.wardell@ seafish.co.uk.
Our ultimate aim is for there to be no deaths among fishing vessel crew, and this is something we are working tirelessly towards.
Hopefully, with improved awareness and knowledge, we may see the numbers of fishermen losing their lives at sea decline even further.
Richard Wardell is fishermen’s training manager for seafood industry body Seafish