Guidance

MIN 663 (F) Guidance on the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on fishers’ wellbeing

Published 18 June 2021

This guidance was withdrawn on

This MIN has expired.

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/min-663-f-guidance-on-the-long-term-impacts-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-fishers-wellbeing/min-663-f-guidance-on-the-long-term-impacts-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-fishers-wellbeing

Notice to all commercial fishing vessel owners, employers, managing agents, skippers and crew.

This MIN continues to provide information related to the long-term effects of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Summary

This document is intended to help vessel owners, skippers and fishing company managers to:

  • understand the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on fishers’ wellbeing
  • recognise the stressors that their crew might be facing
  • direct crew to expert help on a range of issues

Stress decreases performance and increases safety risks, and vessel owners are responsible for the health and safety of their skippers and crew. Specialist support on a range of issues are provided in the ‘Help and Advice’ flyer. For those with crew who have taken time off during COVID-19, a ‘Return to Work’ checklist is provided at the end of this document.

1. Background

1.1 Financial worries are a common stressor, and the pandemic is now widely accepted to be with us for the foreseeable future. The economic impact of COVID-19 on vessel operation if crew or families contract the virus, or have to self-isolate, can be significant. This can lead to reduced work opportunities, resulting in loss of earnings, friction in the home and relationship strain.

1.2 There may also be costs of investment in safety equipment or vessel maintenance that fall to the vessel owner who may also be the skipper. Lack of working opportunities and lower income may have resulted in less investment in these areas over the past year. COVID-19 has undoubtedly led to an increase in anxiety, stress and greater strain on relationships for fishers and their families – mental health has suffered and is an increased concern across the industry.

2. Stressors

2.1 Stressors are events or environments that individuals might consider physically or psychologically demanding, challenging, and/or threatening to their safety. Multiple stressors on skippers and crew created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic have been identified.

  • Financial concerns – Many fishers are experiencing financial hardship if they are unable to fish. Financial worries are known to be a cause of poor mental wellbeing.

  • Increased bullying and harassment – During the pandemic, and at times of economic hardship, individuals’ fears about unemployment can be exploited. Care should be taken to avoid placing undue pressure on an individual to join a crew when weather is expected to deteriorate, the individual or their relatives are unwell or other family responsibilities call.

  • Health anxiety – Many skippers and crew are anxious about contracting the virus and being on board with potentially COVID-19 positive crewmates. In addition to following the recommended protocols for restricting the spread of the virus, anxiety around contracting the COVID-19 virus may be alleviated for some by clear communication of risk assessments and mitigating procedures, which all organisations should have. Opportunities to receive medical attention, including for mental health problems, should also be a priority.

  • Anxiety about family welfare – Individuals may be coping with family crises of different types and scales, such as bereavement or other health or financial crises, at home and could be hesitant to leave them and join a vessel. This could be a cause of anxiety for both the fisher and their family. Taking short daily employment opportunities may be easier for these individuals to manage, with longer periods at sea being more problematic.

Additional concerns for crew from outside of the UK

  • Family/home country anxieties – Crew may have concerns about the health and wellbeing of family abroad, as well as being unable to return home in case of family emergency or death, which can be exacerbated by a lack of communication. Frequent opportunities to privately contact friends and family, without unreasonable cost, should be provided to skippers and crew.

  • Travel restrictions – Travel restrictions have delayed repatriation, increased the need for contract extensions and created issues with returning home even once repatriated to home countries. For skippers and crew with family overseas who have not been supported with getting home in a timely manner, trust may have been damaged, which will impact working relationships well into the future.

2.2 Vessel operators should also be aware of the environment that some fishers are returning to or arriving from. There may be a lack of understanding and fear of the COVID-19 virus, and associated consequences for those who have travelled abroad. Operators should try to understand the concerns and restrictions on crews from regions with very high or very low numbers of COVID-19 cases, strict lockdowns and those affected by specific variants. In addition, skippers and crew may have to undergo particular processes, such as self-isolation, prior to joining new vessels. It is important that steps are taken to make this the least stressful process possible. Good communication and provision of appropriate facilities may go a long way to doing this.

2.3 It is important that vessel owners take steps to ensure that any future pandemic-related restrictions cause minimal disruption to their crew. This includes situations where individuals develop COVID-19 symptoms. The IMO Recommended Framework of Protocols for ensuring safe vessel crew changes and travel during the pandemic contains further guidance, and a link can be found in the Return to Work checklist below.

3. Using effective communication to overcome issues

3.1 All the stressors can have a negative effect on safety and productivity on fishing vessels. It is therefore important to have clear communication between everyone onboard, as well as between the vessel and shore teams. Communications should always be:

  • Realistic about what crews can achieve.
  • Measured. Try to not to make your pressures their pressures.
  • Frequent. Even if there is nothing new to report, providing reassurance that you are aware of the situation and actively working on it is important.
  • As clear as possible.
  • Two-way. Crews should be listened to, and feel able to report concerns about employment, safety and wellbeing to management.

4. Resources to support wellbeing

4.1 If you notice that any of the stressors that are summarised in this guidance are affecting your skippers and crew, please seek expert support from the relevant organisations detailed in the ‘Help and Advice’ flyer and circulate this information widely.

5. Return To Work Checklist

5.1 If there are occasions when skippers and crew return to work after an extended period of time, especially under changed circumstances, vessel owners must ensure that they are appropriately briefed on health and safety procedures, have up-to-date training certification and remain competent at their job. Links to further information can be found in the Return to Work checklist below.

5.2 For those vessels landing outside of the UK the IMO has issued guidance which gives practical steps for joining and leaving vessels, including the need for compliance and strict adherence with COVID-19 testing, quarantine requirements and measures to prevent infection on board vessels.

More Information

Fishing Safety Team
Bay 2/22
Spring Place
105 Commercial Road
Southampton
SO15 1EG

Email: fishing@mcga.gov.uk

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