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We are pleased to announce that the next International Fishing Industry Safety and Health Conference (IFISH-6) will be held at FAO headquarters from January 8 to 12 2024. The event will be held in collaboration with the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety - NEC).

Fishing is one of the world’s most dangerous occupations. Most accidents and fatalities happen in small-scale fisheries. As the demand for aquatic foods and the number of fishers are increasing worldwide, and as climate change is impacting fishing conditions, fishing could grow more dangerous. The Thirty-fifth Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) recognized the challenges and requested FAO to increase its support to developing countries on fishing safety matters.

Responding to a perceived global need for an international dialogue between researchers, industry, and worker organizations to decrease injury and illness in the seafood industry, NIOSH created the International Fishing Industry Safety and Health Conference (IFISH) in 2000 in collaboration with FAO and other partners. Since then, five IFISH conferences have taken place in: Woods Hole, Massachusetts (USA, 2000); Sitka, Alaska (USA, 2003); Mahabalipuram (India, 2006); Reykjavik (Iceland, 2009); and St. John’s, Newfoundland (Canada, 2018).

The IFISH 6 conference will provide a rare opportunity for researchers, safety and health professionals, safety instructors, workers, industry experts, ergonomists, governmental/regulatory representatives, and other professionals from around the world to network, learn, and innovate. The conference will offer opportunities for individuals and organizations to showcase research, disseminate safety innovations and solutions, and develop new and effective partnerships. As with prior conferences, IFISH 6 will feature late-breaking science, innovations, and evidence-based solutions for protecting the health and safety of workers on fishing vessels, in seafood processing plants, and in aquaculture. Because of the importance of safety to small scale fisheries, and in line with COFI’s request, the upcoming IFISH conference will have safety in small-scale fishing at its core subject.

The event will also give support to FAO’s ongoing joint work with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), on safety and decent work in fisheries, and the ratification and implementation of the 2007 ILO Work in Fishing Convention No. 188, the 2009 FAO Port State Measures Agreement and the 2012 IMO Cape Town Agreement. Finally, the event will contribute to FAO and its members work towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 (Life Below Water) of the 2030 United Nations (UN) Agenda for Sustainable Development, and various other SDGs, such as SDG 3 (Good health and wellbeing), SDG 5 (Gender equality), SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth) and SDG 13 (Climate action).

Please consult the conference website https://ifishconference.ca/ifish6-call_for_submissions/ for additional information.