Lost fishermen remembered at UK services

A total of 26 UK deaths involving fishing vessels have been recorded in five years

Fishermen who lost their lives at sea are being remembered at special services around the UK.

National Fishing Remembrance Day was created in 2024 by maritime organisations including the Hampshire-based Fishermen's Mission.

The charity said Sunday's services - including Brixham, Kilkeel and Peterhead which have been designated as national services for England, Northern Ireland and Scotland - were a reminder that fishing remained one of the most dangerous peacetime occupations.

A total of 26 deaths involving fishing vessels were recorded in the five years from 2019 to 2023, according to the Marine Accident Investigation Board.

Former Fisheries Minister Sir Mark Spencer laid a wreath in Grimsby on the inaugural remembrance day in 2024

At Portsmouth, a service is being held at The Camber Docks next to a memorial for six crewmen who died on the Wilhelmina J in 1991.

The beam trawler sank when it collided with a cargo ship in thick fog. Four of the bodies - all men aged in their 20s - have never been found.

Hayley Hamlett from the charity said relatives and friends of the six fishermen attended last year's inaugural event.

The beam trawler Wilhelmina J sank in 1991 with the loss of six lives

She said: "It's a chance to remember the people who have dedicated their lives for the fishing industry and in some cases the ones who've lost their lives while getting the seafood for our plate.

"Every day particularly along the south we've still got fishermen going out risking their lives, nearly always on their own on the boats."

Fishermen and their families from across the south of England also attended a service in Poole, Dorset, with sea shanties, poetry and readings.

Groups involved in National Fishing Remembrance Day also include The Seafarers' Charity, Stella Maris, Seafish and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.