The public prosecutor’s office of West Flanders and the shipping police are starting preventive alcohol and drug checks when fishermen embark. Minister of the North Sea Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld) reports this on Friday. According to statistics from Previs, the protection and prevention service of the Sea Fisheries Fund, there is considerable drug use on board fishing vessels.
Figures available to the public prosecutor’s office in Veurne, West Flanders, show that many fishermen use narcotics. Of the 40 people registered as professional fishermen in the district of Veurne, fifteen are known for using, possessing or selling narcotics. “The signals we received from Previs, the protection and prevention service of the Sea Fisheries Fund, also pointed to a drug problem in the workplace”, says North Sea magistrate Pascal Week of the public prosecutor of West Flanders. In most cases, it concerns cocaine and speed, which the fishermen use to stay awake.
That is why the shipping police will carry out drug checks on the quay before fishermen board the ship. “Fishing is known as one of the most dangerous sectors to work in. Too many families are scarred for life because their fathers or sons never came home,” said Van Quickenborne.
In the meantime, the sector is working on new regulations, analogous to road traffic. For example, administrative fines are equated with the level of fines in road traffic. Blood analyzes will also be possible and the certificate of competency can be withdrawn for a certain period of time. The legislation should be ready by the summer.
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