Plymouth Council launches survey for new fishing safety scheme, inviting fishermen to register interest in planned fleet safety initiative.
Plymouth City Council has opened a survey to gauge interest from local fishermen in a proposed new safety scheme, following unanimous backing from councillors for further support to the fishing fleet.
The move follows a recent full council meeting which endorsed plans to explore funding for updated safety initiatives, including next-generation personal locator beacon technology for commercial and charter vessels.
Tudor Evans said the survey marks the first step in developing the project. “Almost a decade after our first scheme, I was so pleased for the unanimous support across the Council chamber last week for our new safety project,” he said.
He added that the decision reflected “the strong links and support felt across our City for our brave fishermen, their families and community”.
“I am grateful to Council officers for working at pace and getting this first step, the survey of interest ready so that we can begin to work this project up and know how many fishermen and vessels would like to be involved,” Evans said.
The scheme is open to commercial fishing vessels and coded charter boats connected to Plymouth, with eligibility extending to those living in the city and working locally or elsewhere, as well as those based outside Plymouth but operating from its port.
The initiative builds on a previous scheme introduced nearly a decade ago, which saw fishermen equipped with personal locator beacons integrated into lifejackets. That earlier programme has been credited with improving safety awareness and influencing wider adoption of such equipment.
Local fisherman Brian Tapper welcomed the council’s renewed focus on safety. “It is great to see Plymouth City Council leading the way again and offering to support the local fleet through this new project,” he said.
He added that conditions for the inshore fleet remain difficult. “Around the coast the inshore fleet is under more pressure than I have ever known and so someone pulling a project together to help with safety is welcome.”
Reflecting on the earlier scheme, Tapper said it had a lasting impact. “The last scheme made a big difference, it made us all stop and think about things we needed to and led the way for others to follow and make locator beacons in lifejackets the norm.”
The renewed push for safety measures comes against a backdrop of long-term efforts to reduce fatalities in the fishing industry. While recent figures show a decline in deaths, incidents linked to unsafe working practices continue to be highlighted in official investigations.
The council has indicated that responses to the survey will help determine the scale and scope of the proposed scheme, including how many vessels could be equipped with upgraded safety technology.
