A report into the loss of an inshore fisherman has recommended “targeted campaigns” by the Minister for Transport to highlight the dangers of fishing alone.
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) made the recommendation in a report on the death of John Burke, in his late fifties, off Inishbofin, Co Galway in early July 2024.
Mr Burke was in his 5.49 metre freezer aluminium vessel off Inishbofin, Co Galway, when the incident occurred off the north of the island sometime after he put to sea. Met Éireann had issued a small craft warning with forecasts advising of deteriorating conditions.
The MCIB report suggests he may have been trying to free a fouled lobster pot by tethering his boat to the pot riser, using the swell to help with dislodging it from the seabed.
“Although the casualty was wearing a lifejacket, the water temperature, estimated at 14° Celsius (C) to 15°C, and the lack of an emergency communication device – such as an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), or Very High Frequency (VHF) radio – meant no distress signal was sent,”the report says.
“The casualty had a mobile phone but either lost it or was unable to use it. As a result, the incident went unnoticed until the following day,” it says.
Witnesses noticed his dog had managed to return ashore alone but was looking cold and scared.
The report says the coroner’s pathology post mortem report recorded broken ribs but was unable to determine if these were pre or post mortem.
“ If pre mortem, this would have hampered the casualty very considerably and may explain why he was unable to reach the nearest land, which was rocky at about 100 metres (m),” it says. He was unable to swim but had completed a Bord Iascaigh Mhara personal survival training course.
Local search efforts were initiated when he was reported missing, and emergency services, including the Irish Coast Guard and the Clifden Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), were mobilised.
“Despite these efforts, the casualty was found deceased onshore and his body recovered in the early hours of July 4th,” it says.
It says that Mr Burke, who is not named in the report, was “an experienced mariner with extensive involvement in various maritime ventures”.
“Witnesses reported that his experience included seasonal commercial salmon fishing in Alaska, United States, on two separate occasions,”it says.
The MCIB recommends that the minister should “continue the development of targeted campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of lone fishing, particularly in adverse or potentially adverse weather conditions and to promote best practices, such as establishing formal voyage plans and maintaining regular communication with shore contacts”.
It recommends he should “consider the merits of a communication and learning strategy aimed at emphasising to all fishing vessel operators, particularly those under 15 metres, the importance of registering their vessels and adhering, where applicable, to the Code of Practice for the Design, Construction, Equipment and Operation of Small Fishing Vessels of Less than 15 Metres Overall”.
“This strategy should include specific guidance on the critical role of safety equipment, such as Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons, Personal Locator Beacons, and Very High Frequency radios, in reducing maritime fatalities,”it says.
It says the minister should “consider how best to educate vessel owners on stability issues”, and should “consider the introduction of a programme of unannounced inspections, for recreational and fishing vessels less than 15 metres in length overall to ensure compliance with the Codes of Practice and applicable regulations”.
The full report is here
