Fishing and offshore aquaculture are some of the riskiest jobs in Europe. According to the European Maritime Safety Agency’s data, a total of 173 lives were lost between 2014 and 2019 in 89 fishing vessel accidents. More than half of the incidents occur on trawlers and most casualties are attributed to human action failure - including poorly trained, inadequately equipped and even overworked personnel onboard.
To improve working conditions and safety on fishing vessels, the Emilia-Romagna region on Italy’s Adriatic coast is maintaining a dialogue between the fishing community, coastal municipalities, private associations, trade unions and other stakeholders.
In Cesenatico, euronews spoke with FLAI CGIL Pesca Emilia-Romagna trade unionist, Marco Rinaldi, who believes that improving safety culture and reducing the amount of fishing could effectively reduce casualties at sea.