Revisiting Medicals

08/15/23 • 21 min

Fathom: getting below the surface of the UK fishing industry.

In this third episode of the fourth series, CFPO CEO Chris Ranford and guest co-host Charles Blyth, the Risk, Safety & Training Lead at the NFFO are joined by Julie Carlton, Seafarer Safety & Health Manager at the MCA as we revisit medicals ahead of the fast approaching November 2023 deadline.
Fathom kicked off this series at the start of the year with a broad look into the world of health and safety at sea and shared insights and issues to be aware of for the year ahead from fishing safety experts. This episode focuses in on the most significant issue within the fishing industry at present: the requirement for every fisherman to be in possession of a ML5 or ENG1 medical certification by November this year. Medicals have become the talk of many coastal communities in recent months. The requirement has come into force as part of the ILO188 Working in Fishing Convention, which has set common worldwide standards for health, safety and working conditions at-sea.
With growing concern, and some confusion, about what the medicals entail and why they are needed, we brought on Julie Carlton from the MCA to help us answer some of the most frequently asked questions Chris and Charles have been getting from fishermen.
We cover the who, where, when, what why of medicals in the fishing industry, as well as getting into the detail of the getting an appointment ahead of the November deadline and what the MCA are trying to do to address that, the requirements for Grandfather rights and the flexibility of the medicals in terms of meeting the deadline and conditions required to pass.
If you have any concerns or questions, you can get in touch with Charles at the NFFO at c[email protected].uk or find details or contact the MCA directly.
The fourth series of the Fathom podcast has been produced by the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation (CFPO) with funding from The Seafarers’ Charity.
LINKS

Find how to apply for your medical certificate here
More guidance from the MCA on medicals can be found here
You can also get support and advice from Seafit, an initiative jointly run by Fishermen's Mission and Seafarers Hospital Society helping to connect fishermen to both physical and mental health services.

Find how to apply for your medical certificate here
More guidance from the MCA on medicals can be found here
You can also get support and advice from Seafit, an initiative jointly run by Fishermen's Mission and Seafarers Hospital Society helping to connect fishermen to both physical and mental health services.

Previous Episode

Exploring co-management in the U.S.

In this second episode of the fourth series, CFPO CEO Chris Ranford and guest co-host David Stevens, skipper of the Crystal Sea and Chairperson of Fishing into the Future, are joined by Hannah Fennell, Head of Orkney Fisheries Association; Fiona Taylor, Head of Sea Fisheries, Policy and Grants at DAERA; and Robbie Fisher, Head of Domestic Fisheries Sustainability and Devolution,at DEFRA. The episode picks up on the development of new Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs), with the guests reflecting on what they learnt about the U.S. co-management system on a recent exchange trip to the Gulf of Maine.

The fourth series of the Fathom podcast has been produced by the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation (CFPO) with funding from The Seafarers’ Charity.

What can we learn from the rest of the world as we embark on one of the largest overhauls of fisheries management in the UK in decades? 43 FMPs that seek to replace the Common Fisheries Policy are in development, with the UK looking to change what’s seen by some as a top-down system in the E.U. in favour of a more collaborative approach.
Across the pond, the United States has a well-established co-management model. Last year, The Fishmongers’ Company Fisheries Charitable Trust funded an exchange trip with fishers and managers from all corners of the U.K. to the Gulf of Maine to learn more about how the industry, managers, and scientists work together to collect data and make collaborative management decisions.

In this episode, we explore the values and principles that underpin the U.S. system and the investment and education that goes into making co-management work. We consider how possible it would be to translate this approach to the U.K.’s new framework, taking into account the differences between the U.K’s four nations. Robbie and Fiona also give us an update on the development of FMPs, with Hannah and David providing an industry perspective on what they would like to see from the co-management approach included.

The episode is a really useful insight into how the future of fisheries management may look, with the exchange trip and the innovative, cutting-edge ideas that came out of it likely to play an influence in establishing the U.K’s new framework.

Next Episode

The True Value of Seafood to Cornwall

Fathom’s back with its first episode of 2024. A new jingle isn’t the only thing we’ve refreshed on the podcast as Charlotte Scotland from the CFPO takes her maiden voyage in the host’s chair. In this episode, Charlotte is joined by CFPO CEO Chris Ranford, economist Jim Plunkket-Cole, and Edd Hind-Ozin from Defra. They unpack the key findings of the CFPO-commissioned ‘Value of Seafood to Cornwall,’ report and discuss ways it will benefit the fishing industry.

But let’s take a step back and first ask: where did the report in question come from? A strategic review by the CFPO in 2021 identified four pillars of focus to support the Cornish fishing fleet in the post-Brexit and post-COVID landscape. A series of small-scale pilot projects that aligned with these priorities ensued. Soon after, it became apparent that evidence proving the economic importance of Cornwall’s seafood sector was needed to fulfil the vision set out in the strategy and attract longer-term investment. This is where the report comes in!

In the episode economist Jim Plunkket-Cole, who co-authored the report with the former chief economist for Seafish, Hazel Curtis, reveals some of the startling statistics that illustrate how uniquely critical Cornwall’s fishing industry is to the economy and Cornish communities. Meanwhile, Edd Hind-Ozan, Defra's Head of Fisheries Social Science and a member of the report's advisory group, offers his view on how this research should be deployed to shape future policies and address the challenges confronting the Cornish fishing fleet.

The fourth series of the Fathom podcast has been produced by the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation (CFPO) with funding from The Seafarers' Charity.

LINKS:

Read the full report

The True Value to Seafood in Cornwall Infographic