The Regional Directorate for Fisheries participates Thursday in an awareness raising action on Safety at Sea to support vocational training in the fisheries sector that will take place on the island of Graciosa, through the provision of trainers and the vessel FORMAR.
 
Promoted by Graciosa Fishers' Association, the action will be held between 2 and 6 PM at commercial quay and at Praia fishing port. The programme includes a rescue simulation at sea, a demonstration of the use of pyrotechnics and lifejackets, a demonstration of vessel abandonment procedures in case of accident and the use of liferafts.
 
"Safety at sea is crucial to the survival of fishers," the Regional Secretary for Fisheries said, noting that "these actions are important for updating knowledge acquired by fishers when attending training courses, either in the access to the Fisher category or in the access to Local Fishing Vessel Skipper category."
 
Luís Costa also stressed that "the Regional Directorate for Fisheries is preparing a plan to be implemented in the beginning of next year that includes several dissemination and awareness actions on Safety at Sea to take place on all islands of the archipelago."
 
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), there are currently 30 million fishers worldwide working on board four million fishing vessels, of which 98% are less than 24 metres length.
 
The International Labour Organisation estimates that, globally, there are 24 thousand deaths per year in the fisheries sector.