October 03, 2023
New global fund announced to improve fishing safety
The Seafarers’ Charity, Lloyd’s Register Foundation and the Fishing Industry Safety & Health (FISH) Platform have partnered to launch a new fund aimed at raising the safety standards of the global fishing industry, with a focus on The Global South.
A new International Fund for Fishing Safety (IFFS) has been announced today, for the first time providing financial support for on-the-ground safety initiatives that focus on providing a better future for workers in the global fishing industry.
Following extensive sector engagement and using findings from the Insight Report on Safety in the Fishing Industry, The Seafarers’ Charity has partnered with Lloyd’s Register Foundation to manage the fund. Funding decisions will be informed by a steering committee comprising industry experts from the Foundation’s fishing safety network.
Funding will be strategically directed to organisations that represent people who earn their living from fishing, supporting projects or initiatives that reduce accidents and fatalities for fishers in specified regions.
In line with the Foundation’s other activities, the fund will focus on where there is the most need for improved safety outcomes, starting with parts of Asia – which is home to 80% of fishers and some of the most hazardous and unregulated working environments.
The fund is due to start awarding grants in early 2024. Learnings from the completed projects will be widely shared and disseminated to other organisations within the Foundation, The Seafarers’ Charity, and FISH Platform shared network, and used to inform and refine future fishing safety interventions.
Daryl Attwood, Senior Programme Manager at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, said: “The International Fund for Fishing Safety (IFFS) provides an effective means for Lloyd’s Register Foundation to make a scalable impact on fishing safety, and can be an important vehicle to raise awareness of the global plight of fishers. In partnership with The Seafarers’ Charity and the FISH Platform, we’re confident that we can make a real difference to the lives of fishers across the developing world.”
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Deborah Layde, Chief Executive of The Seafarers' Charity, said:
"I applaud and welcome Lloyd's Register Foundation’s strategic vision in establishing this new Fund to improve safety standards in fishing throughout the world. The Seafarers’ Charity already supports safety and welfare initiatives for the benefit of the UK Fishing Fleet, and will continue to do so. However, this new international grant fund will give the rest of the world the opportunity to benefit from financial support to improve the safety of their fishing fleet. The Seafarers’ Charity is delighted to be working in partnership with Lloyd's Register Foundation on such an important initiative.”
