Mullion

BIM, the seafood development agency, Irish Water Safety, the statutory body established to promote water safety and the RNLI have joined forces to create an ongoing campaign to highlight the importance of wearing a lifejacket for fishermen. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, T.D. officially unveiled the series of initiatives today (Thursday 23 June 2011) onboard a fishing vessel in Howth Harbour.

The promotional awareness campaign will take place over the coming months and will involve targeted radio advertising, an online communications campaign and a safety team of specially trained BIM staff who will liaise directly with fishermen on the ground to encourage the use of lifejackets and also the correct wearing, care and maintenance of them. To date in 2011, five fishermen have lost their lives at sea.

According to HSA/ BIM statistics, ‘Man overboard’ accounted for 27% of lives lost on Irish fishing vessels over the past ten years. Wearing a suitable lifejacket is the single most effective measure a fisherman can take to increase survival if involved in a man-overboard accident at sea.

BIM is to launch a dedicated safety page online over the coming months. The campaign is being supported by all of the leading fishing and aquaculture organisations and information will be distributed through their networks, ensuring sustained, targeted messages are reaching fishermen and fish farmers directly.

Simon Coveney, TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is pictured with the Skipper of the mfv “Lily Tom”, Alan Fanning and watched from the deck by Jason Whooley, Chief Executive, BIM; Richie Flynn, IFA Aquaculture, Sean O’Donoghue, Chief Executive, KFO and John Leech, Irish Water Safety