Mandatory training

To go to sea, fishermen must undertake basic safety training. In addition, skippers, mates and engineers working on fishing vessels above a certain length and engine power, or operating in certain sea areas, are required to hold statutory Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Certificates of Competency.

New entrant fishermen must attend basic safety training in sea survival, fire fighting, first aid and health & safety. In addition, experienced fishermen (those with at least two year's fishing experience) must also undertake safety awareness training.

Seafish maintains a database of fishermen's training records. We recommend that fishermen contact us regularly to ensure that our records for them are accurate and up-to-date. This service is provided to help fishermen prove what training they have undertaken when required by, for example, the MCA, the MAIB and vessel insurers.

Skippers, mates and engineers working on fishing vessels of 16.5m in length and above, or on vessels with propulsive powers of 750kW and above, are required to hold MCA Deck and Engineer Officer Certificates of Competency.

Contact your local approved training provider for further details or call our training team on 01472 252302.