About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of safety culture in commercial fishing with expert Darren Guard, focusing on practical safety measures and mental health issues faced by fishermen.

Fishing safety does not start with paperwork. It starts with the people who go to sea. In this episode of Sea Views , Julia Gosling and Adam Parnell are joined by Darren Guard of Guard Safety , a New Zealand fishing safety specialist whose life has been shaped by commercial fishing, vessel operations, safety culture, regulation, training, and fisher wellbeing. Darren comes from one of New Zealand’s oldest European-descendant fishing families, with nearly 200 years of history in the sector. From growing up around fishing vessels to working with Maritime New Zealand, fishing companies, regulators, and crews, his perspective is built on lived experience rather than theory. This conversation looks at what it really takes to change safety culture in commercial fishing. Darren explains why trust matters, why safety systems have to be simple and practical, and why fishermen are more likely to engage when safety is made relevant to their families, their livelihoods, and the realities of working at sea. The discussion also moves into the mental health pressures facing inshore and commercial fishers, the need to treat fishermen as people and not just as labour, and why sustainable…

People in this episode

Hosts: Julia Gosling, Adam Parnell

Guest: Darren Guard

Topics covered

• fishing safety
• safety culture
• mental health
• sustainable fisheries
• training
• community-based learning

Keywords

• fishing safety
• safety culture
• mental health
• sustainable fisheries
• training
• community learning
• New Zealand fishing
• MarineSAFE

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Guard Safety, Maritime New Zealand

Places: New Zealand, Pacific

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