The seminar is taking place on Thursday, March 20, at the St. Jude Hotel in Clarenville.

"As a province so strongly intertwined with the fishery, we must continue to ensure that fishing industry safety remains a top priority," said the Honourable Tom Rideout, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. "Our government continues to promote fishing industry safety at every opportunity, and we are pleased to again host this seminar which is dedicated solely to this very important issue. Last year�s seminar was a tremendous success, and we are confident that this year�s venture will be met with the same enthusiasm."

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has allocated $10,000 for the organization of this initiative through the Fisheries Technology and New Opportunities Program which was established under the Fishing Industry Renewal (FIR) Strategy. All fish harvesters are invited to attend the seminar.

The vessel safety seminar will bring together representatives from all sectors of the fishing industry, including fish harvesters from throughout the province, as well as officials from government and non-government agencies. These include the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Professional Fish Harvesters Certification Board, Canadian Coast Guard, the Transportation Safety Board, Transport Canada, the Department of Environment and Conservation, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Marine Institute and the Institute for Ocean Technology.

More than 80 delegates are expected to be in attendance. Last year�s seminar, held in Gander, brought together in excess of 50 fishermen and 30 officials from various safety regulatory agencies.

"Our government continues to make fishing industry safety a key priority, and we are pleased to again bring the industry together to give this issue its due attention," continued Minister Rideout. "We are finding new ways to promote and enhance fishing industry safety, and we encourage industry representatives to take advantage of them."

The Provincial Government has significantly enhanced its fishing industry safety efforts in recent months. This includes an investment of $750,000 over three years for Occupational Health and Safety Initiatives under the FIR Strategy. These funds will be used to, among other things, move forward with a government-industry Fishing Industry Safety Council.

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