The ETF and Europêche launched FisherySpeak today, a new mobile app that makes communication on board fishing vessels easier.
Being a fisher is a demanding and potentially dangerous job. Being able to communicate with colleagues on board vessels is essential for safety.
That’s easier said than done, though, as the fisheries sector is one of the most internationalised sectors. In practice, that means that crews are made up of fishers of different nationalities, in some cases without any common languages.
Workers’ and employers’ representatives – European Transport Workers’ Federation and Europêche – have recognised this issue on EU fishing vessels and its negative effects on safety and security. They decided to take concrete action and developed Fishery Speak: an easy-to-use app that gives crew members quick access to a glossary of key phrases used on board.
The app supports fishers at work and facilitates communication among them. The main feature is a safety glossary available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Arabic and Russian. Translation between languages and speech-to-text feature is also included.
The app is available in Google Play and Apple app stores:
The app is part of the Pillars of the Sea 2 project that is co-funded by the European Commission.