Managing weather & fishing safety: Marine meteorology and fishing decision-making from a governance and safety perspective

Abstract

Weather is a key factor influencing occupational health and safety (OHS) in the fishing sector, and this relationship is the subject of a growing body of research. However, the issue is rarely considered through a governance lens. Drawing from a larger study of weather and fishing safety in Atlantic Canada, the current paper examines a regional weather/fishing safety governance ecosystem. Using insights from actors (meteorologists; professional fishers) and a review of relevant policy literature, we articulate existing policies that attempt to directly address weather concerns while exploring key challenges facing these efforts. Findings emphasize that governance efforts to mitigate weather-driven fishing incidents typically focus on either shaping risk communication (e.g. public marine forecasts), or enhancing meteorological capacity among fishers through training requirements. While these efforts serve to improve awareness and decision-making capacity, weather remains only one of many factors influencing fisher decisions. Other critical safety factors (fishing access; inter-fisher competition) are shaped by other agencies and policies that i) are more likely to explicitly prescribe fisher behaviour (e.g. when & where fishing may occur), and ii) have not traditionally considered either weather or safety. In this context, mitigating the impacts of weather is best accomplished by bringing a meteorological & health and safety perspective to fisheries management. This could reduce tensions between safety and other factors influencing fisher decisions.