Marine Forecasting and Fishing Safety: Improving the Fit between Forecasts and Harvester Needs

Insights from the History of Fishing Safety: Preparing for Increased Fisheries and Shipping in the Canadian Arctic

“…Marine forecasts and sea ice services are critical risk management resources applied in decision-making across all marine industry sectors. Studies of forecast use in fisheries emphasize that the application of these resources is nuanced, involving the interpretation of multiple forecast sources with peers and through the filter of accrued local knowledge and working experience (Finnis et al 2019;McDonald and Kucera 2007). When harvesters adjust their activity or move into new fishing grounds, forecasts become critical tools for anticipating dangerous conditions and 'learning' an unknown environment or working context (e.g., different gear).…”

“…This presents a significant limit to the utility of forecasts; harvesters report referencing multiple forecast resources in their operational decision-making and interpret these in an informal, yet collaborative manner via continuous weather discussions with peers. Forecasts are approached in an inherently probabilistic manner, as harvesters synthesize data products with very different scales, formats, and strengths with an awareness that forecasting is a difficult, uncertain process (Finnis et al 2019). This stresses the fact that while marine forecast availability and reliability matter when managing fishing risk, experience and peer networks are equally as important.…”

“…Such an approach partially addresses the need for observations and forecast validation, builds local knowledge and forecast expertise among end users, educates producers on practices of forecast application, and encourages holistic perspectives on relationships between weather, behaviour, technology, and OHS. Past knowledge co-production efforts with fish harvesters have proven successful in both Europe (Jeuring et al in press) and Atlantic Canada (Finnis et al 2019). Such approaches are likely to be particularly valuable in the context of expanded fishing/shipping in a changing Arctic, reflecting the need to treat adaptation as a continuous, collaborative process between OHS stakeholders and service providers.…”

“…Multi-stakeholder fishing sector safety organizations have been established in several Canadian provinces including Newfoundland and Labrador (NL Fish Harvesting Safety Association), Nova Scotia (Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia), and British Columbia (Fish Safe BC). Focused and ideally cooperative interventions are believed to be a more constructive approach to safety, and such associations can both contribute to more effective discussion of policy and play a major role in improving the scope and direction of safety research and interventions (Finnis et al 2019). These organizations have the potential to bring together representatives from fishing fleets, including industry unions and companies, organizations responsible for professionalization, safety training, and workers' compensation, with federal and provincial agency representatives and representatives from Indigenous groups and organizations.…”

“…Unable to avoid risk, they are risk navigators (e.g., Eggert and Martinsson 2007;McDonald and Kucera 2007;Thorvaldsen 2015) and adopt a variety of strategies and tools to address the diverse hazards associated with fishing and 'keep themselves safe'. These include vessel and gear design, monitoring weather and forecasts, work practices such as maintaining communication with other vessels and careful management of physical shipboard hazards like rope (Finnis et al 2019;Power 2008). However, many of these strategies and tools (notably vessel/gear design, local knowledge) are somewhat context-specific and do not necessarily transfer safely following significant changes in activities, geography, or working conditions.…”