The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in collaboration with the SafetyNet Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Research (Memorial University) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), will be hosting the 5th International Fishing Industry Safety and Health Conference (IFISH 5) in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada from June 10-13, 2018.

The IFISH 5 Scientific Committee is now inviting participants in developing countries representing Africa, Asia, Pacific and Latin America to submit abstracts on their research and/or experiences with occupational safety in small-scale fisheries, aquaculture, and seafood processing. Travel and other conference-related expenses of eligible applicants with accepted abstracts will be funded from a dedicated fund established by FAO and administered by Memorial University.

The IFISH 5 conference will offer researchers, safety and health professionals, instructors, workers and industry experts, ergonomists, governmental and regulatory representatives, and other professionals the opportunity to attend workshops, presentations, and poster sessions that feature new occupational health and safety research findings and innovations. Keynote speakers will provide an overview of advances in the field and priorities for the future, and they will highlight success stories in research, training, and industry collaboration.  In the evenings and between scheduled presentations and workshops, attendees will have a chance to network with organizations and individuals attending the conference.

Key themes for IFISH5 will include topics on safety in commercial fishing as well as occupational health and safety issues related to aquaculture and seafood processing. We anticipate that the agenda will include occupational safety and health studies highlighting collaboration with industry, evaluations of interventions, improvements to protective gear such as personal flotation devices, fisheries management and safety relationships, and the economic impacts of occupational safety and health.

Submission of Abstracts

We are inviting individuals to submit abstracts for oral presentations and poster formats.

Abstracts can be submitted electronically until 31 January, 2018 (please see template for submissions). Questions about submissions may be addressed by sending an e-mail to ifish 'at' mun.ca.