The Cruising Association has launched its new lobster pot campaign, Marked Gear = Safe Gear, which calls for existing guidance around the marking of static fishing gear to be mandatory – and you can join!
Poorly marked fishing gear, lobster pots and creels in UK waters are a hidden and real safety hazard to yachtsmen, causing entanglement, damage to vessels and in some circumstances putting lives at risk.
Unmarked gear is difficult to spot, easy to strike, and capable of causing serious and costly damage to vessels, propellers and rudders. It is a danger to those on the water and crew who may be injured while trying to disentangle their yachts from fishing gear.
The CA is joined by the Royal Institute of Navigation, Yachting Monthly, Practical Boat Owner and the Westerly Owners’ Association in an alliance calling for existing Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) voluntary guidance on gear marking to be made mandatory and enforceable.
Most fishermen follow the MCA guidance first issued in 2008. However, inconsistent compliance under voluntary guidance leaves dangerous gaps. Scotland legislated in 2020 making it illegal to mark creels with anything other than a dedicated buoy.
The Marked Gear = Safe Gear campaign aims to:
Highlight hazards – educate and raise awareness to water users
Document incidents – collect data on dangerous entanglement and near-misses to demonstrate the need for reform
Map and publish identified hazards
Build partnerships – build alliances with those in the fishing and boating communities who share our concerns
Advocate for regulatory reform – lobby policymakers to prioritise this critical safety issue and enact enforceable reforms
President of the CA, Robin Baron, said: ‘Poorly marked static fishing gear is not a minor inconvenience – it is a serious and growing safety risk that puts lives, vessels and livelihoods in danger.
‘While many fishermen follow good practice, inconsistent marking continues to create avoidable hazards at sea.’
Since 2017, the RNLI has reported around 1,400 entanglement-related call-outs due to floating debris and static fishing gear. HM Coast Guard attends approximately 150 incidents each year linked to lobster pots and other static fishing gear.
‘Through this campaign,’ Robin Baron continued, ‘the Cruising Association is taking a clear, evidence-led approach: raising awareness, documenting incidents, working with partners across the marine community, and pressing for meaningful regulatory change.
‘Safety at sea depends on shared responsibility, but voluntary measures have not led to a significant change in practice. It is now time for clear, enforceable standards so that all water users can navigate with confidence. Marked gear is safe gear and that is the standard we must achieve.’
■ Find out more about the Marked Gear = Safe Gear campaign at: www.theca.org.uk/lobster-pot-campaign
What can you do?
To effect change, the Marked Gear = Safe Gear campaign needs to document the scale of static fishing gear entanglement and its impact on safe navigation.
A new online reporting form has been launched to record all sightings of unmarked, poorly-marked or lost static fishing gear, lobster pots and creels, as well as instances of entanglement, whether you were directly involved or witnessed an incident that occurred over the last year. If you see it, report it.