‘A dangerous place to be’: fishing body head calls for more safety training after Port Lincoln fisherman left with serious injuries

A fishing body head has called for new regulations to better train fisherman after a man sustained serious facial injuries when he was hit in the head with a boat winch.

The head of a fishing industry body has called for more training after a series of recent boating injuries. Picture: Mark Brake

The head of a fishing industry body has pleaded for more training after a fisherman was left in hospital with serious injuries following an incident in Port Lincoln.

The man was allegedly hit in the head with a boat winch, suffering serious facial injuries on Wednesday afternoon.

He was taken to the Royal Adelaide hospital, where he remains in a serious condition.

Details regarding the cause of the incident have not been released, but SafeWork SA is investigating.

A SafeWork SA spokesman said they were notified of the incident on Wednesday.

“An inspector attended the site where statutory notices were placed on the operation of the winch,” the spokesman said.

“Inquiries are continuing.”

The head of the Australian Maritime and Fisheries Academy, which trains workers in the maritime, seafood and fishing industry, Bob Miller said working on the water is “a very dangerous place to be” and advocated for retraining.

“It’s really quite a terrible accident to happen,” he said.

“He’s going to have a long road back to health and we’re all hoping and praying he recovers.”

Australian Maritime and Fisheries Academy Executive Director Bob Miller has called for further training to prevent further incidents. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

Mr Miller said workers must remain vigilant with safety training to reduce incidents.

“Everyone trains to avoid any incidents of this nature.

“In South Australia there have been fewer deaths … so it’s easy for people to get a bit complacent.”

Near-coastal workers are only required to undertake training once, which Mr Miller said is not enough.

“It’s a significant issue that needs to be addressed,” he said.

The incident caps off a dangerous year for SA fishermen.

A beloved Elliston fisherman died in a devastating boating accident last weekend on the Eyre Peninsula.

Peter Martin, 77, who was also known as Pedro in the community, was out checking cray pots before tragedy struck last Saturday.

In March, Tom Eckert, Paul Eckert and Alan Bottrill were killed when their boat capsized in a freak accident off Spilsby Island in the Spencer Gulf.

Two survivors, Danny Eckert and his 12-year-old son, spent over 12 hours in the sea before they were rescued.

At the time, fishing magnate Hagen Stehr told The Advertiser that safety in the fishing industry was not being taken seriously enough, describing some operators as “cowboys”.