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From the Archives - Fishing Safety, Grimsby1976
Sorting out the Fishing Industry Archives to move the key documents into the databases the team came up with this newspaper cutting from Grimsby Evening Telegraph, the fishing port on the Lincolnshire coast, from 1976. The occasion was our first Seminar and Exhibition for the Fishing Industry to explain new safety and operating regulations, and demonstrate improved working clothing, and new safety and survival equipment. During the 1970's Alan Simpson developed a series of seminars, workshops and exhibitions for the Fishing and Offshore industries throughout the UK. These covered safety, survival, communication, electronics and rules and regulations. The then White Fish Authority were very enthusiastic at our involvement having been recognized in the New Years Honours List for work on Search and rescue, and Maritime Survival. There had been a number of large trawlers lost at sea, and Commercial Fishermen were concerned about the chances of survival. At the same time the Cod fishing had been dealt a severe blow thanks to the "Cod War" between the UK and Iceland. Many of the issues we see today began to take shape even back then, and the reluctance to address these issues led to the over fishing we see today. The question of developing working survival clothing caused us many sleepless nights from 1976 till 1980. The project was funded by the Irish Fisheries Board and research was conducted at our Centre in Beccles, just outside of Lowestoft, in Suffolk, England. The problem was that to meet the survival requirements the clothing was too bulky and restrictive, and worse still the juices from the fish destroyed all known fabrics, and destroyed the buoyancy of the survival garment. During that time period many trips were undertaken in Trawlers, Drifters and recreational craft to find the best fabrics to develop a line of multi purpose clothing for commercial fishermen. The newspaper and magazine articles claiming that fishermen could fall overboard and stay afloat and alive caused many of the Trawler Owners to approach Alan Simpson and request clarification of the many new products being offered. The Grimsby Seminar featured here was the major event that year, and Trawler Owners traveled from throughout the UK, and Europe to see for themselves. Severe weather caused the demonstrations to be postponed, and they were carried out later off Lowestoft, and carried by BBC TV. The problem then as it is now was that any major changes to rules and regulations were never explained to the operators and owners, and very little input, or feedback was undertaken to modify, or clarify regulations. From these seminars and workshops developed the Report on UK Survival Equipment, authored by Alan Simpson for the then Department of Industry, and Department of Trade, as well as major workshops for rule makers, and politicians responsible for the industry. These demonstrations and workshops were taken on the road across Europe, and in Ireland were the subject of television and radio coverage as the leaders of Government and Unions donned the new clothing and pulled each other into the liferaft during the demonstration. That led to significant dialog to improve a whole range of Fishing Regulations.
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