Maritime Community Research Articles

Social Position and Direction of Maritime Society Transformation (Case Study on Community Community Maritime Affairs Bugis Makassar South Sulawesi)

The study aimed to analyze the social position of the maritime community in the context of maritime economic behavior and attempt to determine the direction for socio-cultural transformation in an effort to build a maritime civilization in State Bugis Makassar South Sulawesi. This study uses Verstehen (qualitative interpretative) to the maritime community's social position and the possibility of choice over the direction of its transformation process. The results showed that the social position the maritime community in the position marked with the mentality of economic behavior kelemah adab ~ karsaan, where on the one hand weak capital owners tend to behave in manners (exploit workers) as a consequence of the influence of capitalism and on the other, workers tend to behave weak intention (not productive, excessive dependence ~ resigned, and consumptive life style) as a consequence of the influence of classical Sufism. Worsened by the presence of modernization (acceleration technology ~ carbide) that are not relevant to the potential maritime and impartiality of policy makers resulting in further social pathology (each claimed), environmental destruction, and the destruction of the local culture. This study merekomendir necessity of directing the transformation of socio-cultural community of the maritime community in efforts to grow ~ develop economic behavior that mentality kekuat adab ~ karsaan as a major foundation in building a maritime civilization. In this effort the government alignments and selection of appropriate technologies to realize it is absolutely necessary.

Overview of training programs for midshipmen in the usa

The international maritime community systematically introduces ever higher standards of quality training of marine specialists capable of professional growth and rapid conversion for the operation of modern vessels of all types. At the heart of 84 % of emergency cases are errors due to insufficient competence of specialists, managers of the ship and operating ship power plants and systems. The basic level of training is reduced, seafarers lack practical skills. To remain a maritime power, competitive in the training of qualified specialists at all levels, manage the modern fleet and effectively operate it, it is necessary to improve the system of maritime education without delay. The work provides an overview of training programs for midshipmen in the United States.

«A man of the sea» in Ukrainian contexts as a subject of sociological discourse Annotation

In the article there analyzes the factors and conditions of the Maritime industrie’s development in Ukraine in the context of socio-cultural development of Maritime regions. The Sectoral and the interdisciplinary research are covered by the implementation’s practical aspects of sociological-methodological research of community and professional losses of the «special» marine areas — «A man of the sea» in ukrainian sociological space. There is substantiated the necessity of the comprehensive study of formation’s factors and factors of productive activity by the modern specialist of the Maritime industry and the effective use of such knowledge in social projects and practices in the context of development’s prospects of Ukraine as the Maritime community. In terms of existing of the blurred sociological objective and subjective criteria of its dynamics is relevant the use of sociological approaches in subdiscipline based on studying of subjective mechanisms of formation and feedback effects of the mental factor «sea» in the mind of «man of the sea» on the factors anthropo — and sociocultural development in regions. The analysis of the functioning of the object indicates the necessity of considering influences of social factors of a global nature (information and globalization changes) reflected in social stereotypes, purely anthropological, psychological and political origin (ethno-cultural, mental, religious, ideological, etc.). The extension of the object and subject of sociological consideration towards the specifications of the «social» element requires the use of socio-scientific principle of tracking the relationship of the manifestations of human activity in a social context of the social development of the organism as a whole system. The proposed perspective of the study allows us to consider regional marine social subcultures within an appropriate of the sociological subdiscipline, without limiting the directions of the Genesis of the investigated object and subject connections. Social characteristics of the «man of the sea» received thanks to the «Maritime sociology» from a structural and dynamic point of the view, the interaction of the different sides, levels, subsystems allow us to bring this knowledge to the solution of problems of social institutions (education, family, etc), social communities (territorial communities, socio-professional categories), social processes (integration or disintegration), and cross-cultural processes and use them effectively in social projects and practices.

The Folk Wisdom of a Maritime Community in Selected Works by Arena Wati: A Study of an Intangible Cultural Heritage

Arena Wati is a literary figure who was once a seaman before he became a writer. His many experiences as a seaman are recorded in his works. Much of the cultural heritage of Macassar’s maritime community known to Arena Wati has not been researched, including the folk wisdom that is typical of such a community. Folk wisdom is an example of intangible cultural heritage. This essay will discuss the folk wisdom of this maritime community, as portrayed by Arena Wati in the works studied. The method used for this study is textual analysis. The works relevant to this study are Arena Wati’s memoir entitled Memoir Arena Wati: Enda Gulingku and four of his novels: Pantai Harapan (Shores of Hope) (1990), Citra (Image) (1991), Sudara (Kin)(1994), Warna Sukma Usia Muda (The Colours of a Young Soul) (2005) and Rindu Aroma Padi Bunting (A Longing for the Fragrance of Ripe Paddy)(2012).This study finds that the maritime folk wisdom presented by Arena Wati can be categorized into four: that of seamen, for ship passengers, that of fishermen and that of coastal communities. Keywords: intangible cultural heritage, maritime communities, folk wisdom, Arena Wati Abstrak Arena Wati merupakan sasterawan yang pernah menjadi pelaut sebelum menjadi sasterawan. Banyak pengalamannya sebagai pelaut ditulis dalam karyanya. Banyak warisan budaya masyarakat maritim Makassar yang diketahui oleh Arena Wati belum dikaji termasuklah petua. Maka, esei ini akan membincangkan petua sebagai warisan budaya tidak ketara masyarakat maritim seperti yang diperlihatkan oleh Arena Wati dalam karya yang dikaji. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah analisis tekstual untuk meneliti petua berkenaan. Antara karya yang digunakan ialah memoir Arena Wati yang bertajuk Memoir Arena Wati: Enda Gulingku (2010) dan enam buah novelnya iaitu Pantai Harapan (1990), Citra (1991), Sudara (1994), Warna Sukma Usia Muda (2005) dan Rindu Aroma Padi Bunting (2012). Kajian ini mendapati terdapat petua maritim yang ditampilkan oleh Arena Wati dapat dikategorikan kepada empat, iaitu pelaut, penumpang kapal, nelayan dan masyarakat pesisir pantai. Kata kunci: warisan budaya tidak ketara, masyarakat maritim, petua, Arena Wati

Livelihood and Conservation in Guinea-Bissau’s National Parks: A Photographic Essay

Guinea-Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world, but has a wealth of biodiversity. In this context, a particularly interesting case study is the Urok Maritime Community Protected Area, whose creation in 2005 involved the setting up of multi-scalar governance structures and mechanisms that have fostered participatory democracy. Many eyes are set on this experiment in the political ecology of conservation.

Ecosystem changes in the Egyptian saline Lake Qarun during the XX–XXI centuries (short review)

Since beginning of the 20th century the salinity growth in Lake Qarun (Egypt) accelerated. Changes in the specific structure of plankton and benthos have been observed. Three stages of biotic changes may be separated. The salinity change determined biodiversity transformation only until 1928. Due to natural causes new species invasions – marginal marine (Cerastoderma glaucum, etc.) and halotolerant lacustrine (Arctodiaptomus salinus, Moina salina, etc.) – occurred, reducing the diversity and abundance of freshwater forms. Because of the growth of salinity the certain species of fish began to disappear in the lake. Catch of fish has fallen sharply, affecting the standard of living of the local population on the shores of the lake. To improve the situation, in 1928, people started to introduce the young marine fishes and crustaceans. Some species of introduced animals began to breed successfully, but not all, so the fry of some species of fish are transported annually from the sea into the lake. The second stage of the biotic transformation in the lake started, when the mass directed and accidental marine aquatic organism introduction by people was the main reason. The flow of marine species increased, halotolerant lacustrine species have disappeared, and the maritime community has formed. In 1950–1970s, intensive eutrophication began; it and alien species anthropogenic introduction have become the driving forces of the ecosystem changes. In the next decades, the main causes of changes in community structure will be eutrophication, pollution and aliens, especially jellyfish Mnemiopsis leidyi, invaded the lake in 2014.

Policy and Backwardness of Maritime Society Case Study on Community Maritime Affairs Bugis Makassar South Sulawesi

This research is motivated by a concern to the maritime community in Indonesia and South Sulawesi in particular, which is still very behind compared with other communities on the mainland or degenerate far backward compared with the maritime community in the past royal era (VIII century - XVII century: Sriwidjaya, Majapahit, and Gowa-Makassar). This study aims to reveal the concern of the government on maritime development in the State Bugis Makassar of South Sulawesi. This study uses Verstehen method was conducted through "historical approach" since the period of the kingdom until the reform period. The results showed that the retardation of Bugis-Makassar Maritime Communities in the Bugis-Makassar State was started in inattention government or precisely turned attention both central and local governments from land to sea. Since independence era or period of the republic, government policy in general more focus on the continental policy (to the mainland) in terms of physical potential of this nation is dominant on the maritime potential and this nation has historically also known as the nation's oceans (maritime) than the nation's land. The study recommends to realize what has been painstakingly formulated in Repelita VII up to X, a formula that relies on modernization alignments according to the great potential of maritime nations.

Sufism and Behavior of Maritime Economic Community (Case Study on Pakkaja Community in South Sulawesi)

<p>This research is motivated by a concern to the maritime community in Indonesia and South Sulawesi in particular, which is up to now still very behind compared with other communities on the mainland or degenerate far backward compared with the maritime community in the past royal era (eighth century ~ XVII century: Sriwidjaya, Majapahit, and Gowa~Makassar). This study aims to reveal the negative effect on classical Sufism of maritime community economic behavior, by taking the case to the Pakkaja Community. This study uses Verstehen method is done by "reversed burden of proof". The results showed that the backwardness of maritime community, in particular the Pakkaja Community is rooted in the mentality of weak intention characterized by low productivity, dependence excessively and consumptive lifestyles in their lives, is a negative deflection of classical Sufism, which stuck very strong since early Islamization of the archipelago and Bugis ~ Makassar in particular.</p>

The Capitalism and Economic Behavior of the Maritime Community A Case Study of the Pasompe’ Community in the Bugis Makassar Land of South Sulawesi

<p>This study aims to reveal the influence of capitalism on the economic behavior of the maritime community, by studying the case of the Pasompe’ Community in the Bugis Makassar Land of South Sulawesi. This research was conducted using the Verstehen method which is the "reversal of the burden of proof" of what is at the "back" of the Pasompe’ Community’s income distribution in the Bugis-Makassar area in South Sulawesi. The results showed that the underdevelopment of the maritime community, especially the Pasompe Community is rooted in the uncultured mentality characterized by the large claim made by owners of capital to the workers, a negative deflection of Western capitalism, which historically has been created since the days of colonialism. Without ignoring the positive side of capitalism, further research also found that the greater the capital invested by the owners of capital (bourgeois) on the one hand and the lower productivity of workers (proletariat) on the other hand in the socio-economic structure of the maritime community, resulted in the ever flourishing uncultured mentality, where it is very clear that people with this type of mentality can not be expected to build maritime civilizations in the future.</p>

Can We Learn from Aviation: Safety Enhancements in Transport by Achieving Human Orientated Resilient Shipping Environment

It is well reported in the literature that more than 80% of shipping accidents are attributed to Human/organisational Error. Maritime community has realised that despite all the increased safety standards and technological developments, accidents are still occurring and the systems are not resilient to errors at various levels. The FP7 SEAHORSE project focuses on safety in marine transport by addressing human and organisational factors through transfer of well proven practices and methodologies from air transport to marine transport in an effective, collaborative and innovative manner. This will be primarily achieved by introducing the principles of resilience engineering in an integrated framework which will result in multi-level resilience that linking individuals, team, multi-party teams and organisations in ship operation that ultimately enhancing shipping safety.This paper presents similarities and gaps between two transport sectors while establishing the principles of transfer of skills, technology from aviation to maritime, which includes but not limited to rules, standard operating procedures, safety culture, just culture and mandatory safety reporting methodologies. The paper further present the feasible areas for transfer, experience gained during the transfer of technology/skills from air to marine while outlining the resilience framework adapted to maritime transport.

Zooarchaeology and Changing Food Practices at Carrizales, Peru Following the Spanish Invasion

Through analysis of zooarchaeological remains from two occupations at the site of Carrizales, we examine how an indigenous Peruvian maritime community responded to imperial interventions in their daily lives in the late sixteenth century. Following their forced resettlement into a planned reduccion village, and amidst demographic decline and tribute extraction, Carrizales’s residents significantly changed how they put food on the table, pursuing less time-intensive strategies of food collection and incorporating Eurasian animals into their diets. These results illustrate the dynamism of relations between imperial political economies and domestic life and the efficacy of indigenous survival strategies.

Sea of opportunity: the Japanese pioneers of the fishing industry in Hawaii

Sea of Opportunity: The Japanese Pioneers of the Fishing Industry in Hawaii. Ogawa, Manako. Honolulu, USA: University of Hawai'i Press, (2015, ISBN: 978-0-8248-3961-1).Manako Ogawa's Sea of Opportunity is an excellent study of the history of the Japanese fishing communities of Hawai'i from the late nineteenth century to the recent past. The book locates the history of Japanese fishermen and their families in the context of the wider expansion into the Pacific of fishing and whaling in general and emphasizes the maritime nature of Japanese history; the ocean having long provided Japan with both economic and cultural sustenance. Ogawa asserts that the Japanese fishermen of Hawai'i should not be regarded as merely transplanted communities, like their agricultural compatriots, but seen as the result of a natural, ongoing expansion. Japanese fishermen had long ventured beyond the shores of Japan itself and the scale of this increased following the opening of Japan's doors with the end of isolationism. Making fishermen central to the study, she moves away from the agricentric bias of much of the literature on Japanese communities overseas that has regarded the ocean as an obstacle to be overcome, rather than as a central factor in facilitating migration.In her opening chapter, Ogawa clearly establishes that Japanese fishing communities had always been highly mobile. The end of isolation and the emergence of modern Japan, heralded by the Meiji era beginning in 1868, prompted the emigration of many, particularly those whose livelihood depended on the sea and were able to respond with relative ease to the promise of better returns elsewhere.The second chapter considers the initial contact between Japanese fishermen and native Hawaiians, the triumph of Japanese fishing methods over those of their Hawaiian rivals, and the establishment of the Japanese fishing industry in the face of hostile white elites. From the arrival of the first Japanese fishermen in 1889, there were incidents of friction and violence between the new arrivals and the native population. Nevertheless, by 1900 there were 50,000 Japanese in Hawai'i constituting 40 per cent of the population. The growth of the industry saw fishermen recruited from Japan and from those Japanese already resident in Hawai'i working in the sugar cane fields. Ogawa reveals that Japanese immigrants successfully established their own companies in contrast to their contemporaries in Canada and mainland USA.The third chapter outlines the dominance of Japanese fishing during its golden age in the 1920s and 30s, including a detailed account of the actual process of fishing. Ogawa notes that there was a failure to transmit fishing skills intergenerationally and this, by the 1930s, had resulted in an aging workforce. This reflected a desire among the second generation for white-collar and professional jobs in less hazardous, higher status and more lucrative occupations. Ogawa also provides a consideration of the female contribution to the industry, mostly in processing work in the canneries but often in the business of selling and bartering or even in the actual process of fishing itself. Japanese women were also involved in company operations at the decision making level, particularly in family owned businesses. She gives a brief account of Japanese religious practices but does not elaborate on the cultural activities of the community.The fourth chapter looks at the trials faced during the years of heightened suspicion of a maritime community seen as representative of an expansionist Japan. The suspicion of Japan and its sea going people, specifically operating in Hawaiian waters, saw the suppression of the industry through the introduction of a variety of fishing regulations and prosecution for violations of those regulations. Furthermore, fears of espionage led to bans on Japanese fishing boats for reasons of national security. Pearl Harbor and war meant the complete cessation of all fishing activity by people of Japanese ancestry. …

The source, processing and use of red pigment based on hematite and cinnabar at Gramalote, an early Initial Period (1500–1200 cal. B.C.) maritime community, north coast of Peru

The evidence presented in this paper is a first effort to contextualize aspects related to the sourcing, production and uses of red paint during the second millennium BC in Northern Peru. The site tested was Gramalote, a fishing settlement of the Peruvian North Coast. The results show that the inhabitants of this settlement had access to a local source of hematite but they also used cinnabar that came from a distant region located in the Southern Highlands. Based on the abundance of lithic and bone tools, shell containers and ceramic seal stamps, the authors of this article study the process behind the production of this painting. Using physicochemical techniques such as Portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology complemented with structural analysis through X-ray diffraction, applying conventional and synchrotron radiation on selected samples, the authors look at issues related to sourcing, production and uses of the red pigment. In addition, isotopic analysis helped to determine the provenience of cinnabar which is also the earliest evidence of human use of this mineral in the Andean region. Temporal and contextual distributions of these artifacts are analyzed to understand the manipulation and uses of the red paint. Finally, this study also gives a glimpse of the symbolic meaning red pigment could have played in the daily life of a second millennium BC maritime community on the Pacific coast of Peru.

Greenland whalers and life on a Wadden Sea Island in the eighteenth century

Focusing on the Danish island Rømø, this article explores how the local community was influenced by the fact that, from the late seventeenth until the early nineteenth century, most of the men migrated every year to the big European cities to work as captains or crew on whaling and sealing ships bound for Arctic waters. This way of living brought the men from Rømø into contact with the cultural and financial centres of Europe. Several aspects of life and practices on Rømø were influenced by the annual migration of labour. While the men were away, women had to take responsibility for running both farms and households. Due to the men’s absence, farming became part of the women’s sphere to such a degree that it was almost the norm that older people would hand over the farm to a daughter and not a son. Farming was, however, marginal and the main incomes of families were earned at sea. Because the men were paid in money and not in kind, the island was permeated by an economy based on the exchange and investment of money. The material culture on the island was influenced by a growing wealth among the islanders and their connections to the world beyond. This was shown through both the cotton shirts of the women and the buildings richly decorated with Dutch tiles. On one hand, certain practices were practical solutions to specific problems connected to the conditions in a maritime community, rather than being inspired by life and practices seen elsewhere. On the other hand, living and behaving in this manner may have been a premise for upholding a connection to the networks that bound the men to communities in the European harbours.

Tsunami currents in ports.

Tsunami-induced currents present an obvious hazard to maritime activities and ports in particular. The historical record is replete with accounts from ship captains and harbour masters describing their fateful encounters with currents and surges caused by these destructive waves. Despite the well-known hazard, only since the trans-oceanic tsunamis of the early twenty-first century (2004, 2010 and 2011) have coastal and port engineering practitioners begun to develop port-specific warning and response products that accurately assess the effects of tsunami-induced currents in addition to overland flooding and inundation. The hazard from strong currents induced by far-field tsunami remains an underappreciated risk in the port and maritime community. In this paper, we will discuss the history of tsunami current observations in ports, look into the current state of the art in port tsunami hazard assessment and discuss future research trends.

Sharing the same waters

Fifteen years have passed since the ground-breaking 1999 Marshall decision and the Mi'kmaq Lobster Crisis that followed which saw two months of tit-for-tat violence. In this article, we examine how relations among Mi'kmaq and Settler fishers have changed since the decision and its aftermath, and interpret intergroup relations by using Herbert Blumer's group-position theory. The article presents data collected from ethnographic observation and interviews with Mi'kmaq and Settler fishers in a Maritime community. We find that although fishers share the same waters, and have a generally amicable public relationship, many miscon- ceptions and resentments persist.

Maritime Community Settlement History in Pangani Bay, Tanga Coastal Region, Tanzania

Many Zanjian settlements (eighth to thirteenth centuries AD) on Tanzania’s coast are considered to have collapsed and are not regarded as belonging to the formation of the Swahili culture of the th...

Nanoscale hydrophilicity studies of Gulf parrotfish (Scarus persicus) scales.

The Gulf parrotfish (Scarus persicus) offers inspiration for a strategy to combat marine biofouling, a problem of great economic and environmental interest to the maritime community, through its use of a continually maintained, multifunctional, water-based mucus layer to cover its scales. In this study, to better understand the scale-mucus interface, we investigate the nanoscale hydrophilicity of the fish scales by comparing reconstructed force distance profiles obtained using an amplitude-modulation atomic force microscopy (AM-AFM) technique. We note significant differences between three morphologically distinct regions of each scale, as well as between scales from four spatially distinct regions of the fish. This study reveals a previously unreported property of fish scales and proves the value of a new AFM technique to the field of biomaterials.

The Social History of English Seamen 1485-1649, Edited by Cheryl A. Fury

The Social History of English Seamen 1485-1649, Edited by Cheryl A. Fury. Woodbridge and Rochester, The Boydell Press, 2012. x, 350 pp. $115.00 US (cloth). This social history is more accurately a collection of discrete essays that range from methodology (the application of forensics to naval history) to historiography. Despite their heterogeneity, the contributions are configured expertly by Cheryl Fury. Each chapter transitions logically into the next, making this a cohesive if eclectic reading experience. The tome commences with an over-arching characterization of the world of English seamen by David Loades (author of the definitive monograph on the Tudor navy) that emphasizes the variety and breadth of the maritime community, as well as considers the inherent problems of definition regarding inclusion (for example, dependents and associates that never actually put to sea but were inextricably part of the maritime socio-economic fabric). Complementing this backdrop, Fury provides historiographical context by paying homage to the late Geoffrey Scammell, who produced a wealth of seminal articles. Fury identifies six themes permeating Scammell's work: the English merchant service, seamens' maritime aptitude in peace and war, ship-owning and seamanship, the professionalization and emergence of an officer class, provisioning, and mutiny. These common denominators further unify the anthology as they are frequently incorporated in the essays that follow. Osteoarcheologist Ann Stirland produces scientific evidence illustrative of the lives of early-modern English seamen, demonstrating how human remains can confirm and embellish manuscript evidence. Using skeletal characteristics of experienced archers, Stirland reveals the fighting capabilities of the men of the celebrated Mary Rose. Similar detective work on bones found in proximity to the artillery of the sunken Henrician vessel (where the iron oxide of rusting cannon tinged the skeletons of the presumed gun crews) imparts better understanding of how Tudor sailors achieved their so-called military revolution in shipboard gunnery. J.D. Alsop, whose analyses of the Tudor Exchequer earned him acclaim, contributes to methodology by examining ninety-three wills drawn up by Tudor seafarers, eighty-six of which were composed at sea. Such intensely personal legal documents reveal the concerns, living conditions and experiences of seamen. The expansion of overseas trade, in this case with Guinea, necessitated that seamen and traders negotiate a mutually beneficial arrangement by which a merchant marine could function competitively. Alsop elucidates the dynamics of the terms of shipboard service, with wills documenting the aspirations of sailors within the framework of early capitalism. Dovetailing with the spiritual, social, economic, and physical world of Tudor seafarers, Fury then readdresses the macrocosmic problem of identifying the Elizabethan maritime community, building upon Loades's initial chapter. A profile emerges that demonstrates how war affected the maritime community by imposing harsh demands on common folk, and thus sculpted the mental world of Elizabethan sailors and their dependents. The latter theme further unfolds in Vincent Patarino's rendering of shipboard religious practice (especially illuminative of literacy and the sacraments), which shows how the individualism and egalitarianism of the seafarer's cosmos derived from both pre- and post-Reformation culture. …

YOUNGSTERS’ MOTIVATIONS AND DIFFICULTIES FOR CHOOSING SEAFARER CAREER. THE CASE OF LATVIA

The contribution of maritime academies is of first importance to the shipping industry. In order to respond to the growing demand for qualified seafarers in the European maritime community, the quality of recruitment campaigns should be enhanced, taking in consideration prospective students’ believes and fears about the profession. Based on career motivation theory and on the concept of “generation”, the aim of this study was to investigate youngsters’ reasons for choosing or rejecting seafarer profession, and to investigate regional and gender differences.In order to answer the research question, a sequential mixed-method study, using open-questions and a questionnaire, was conducted at the Novikontas Maritime College, in Riga, among participants of the concourse “Enkurs” from February to May 2014. 219 answers to the questionnaires and 144 to the open questions were recorded. After the analysis of scientific literature, the following research tasks were implemented: first, the questionnaire and open questions were elaborated and piloted; then data collection and preparatory data cleaning was done; after that, data were processed and analysed; the data analysis methods were Cronbach’s alpha, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Mean of ranks (MR) and Median, Chi2, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, Cross tabulation and t-test. Finally, the interpretation of the results and elaboration of conclusions and recommendation was done.The main “reasons for choosing seafarer profession” were “stable employment” (MR=4.42 in a 5 point Likert scale) and “travelling and seeing new places” (MR=4.42), followed by “good salary” (MR=4.38). The main “dissuading factors” were “difficulties for family life” (MR=3.94) and “studies are too expensive” (MR=3.17). Statistically significant differences between regions and between genders were found: respondents from Latgale and Vidzeme were more attracted by seafarers’ team spirit than respondents from other regions. For respondents from Riga, the lack of family life is not such a severe obstacle compared with other regions. Females seem to be more attracted by travelling and more concerned about bad influence of seafarer work on health than males, while males are more attracted by the salary and prestige of the profession than females.In the last section these findings were compared with recent research and contrasted with the opinion of professional seafarers and real data about these issues, especially about family life, cost of the studies and health problem, for correcting what was wrong and confirming what was right in respondents’ perceptions. Some recommendations for adapting career promotion campaigns to the needs of potential students are put forward. The results of this study will help Maritime Education and Training (MET) teachers to adapt their discourse to the needs of students. Also prospective maritime education students will find useful to reflect on the positive aspects and dissuading factors of this profession and to have a real picture of work at sea, in order to make a well informed choice of profession.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eis.0.8.7323