Fish Platform Membership
Welcome To FISH Platform.
The FISH Platform is the leading international organization supporting the sharing of ideas and encouraging collaboration amongst commercial fishing safety and health professionals. Our strength is the cumulated professional expertise of members and participants. We support and develop the most talented and informed safety professionals in global fishing.
As a Platform we have influence in supporting our members in their work at a national level, as well as representing the interests of the commercial fishing sector in other international bodies.
Bi-annual events are held to facilitate and enable collaboration and sharing between experts and those interested in health and safety in fishing. The events are of an informal nature and are non-hierarchal, with all participants having an equal voice to contribute to a balanced discussion, which achieves the following objectives:
- Sharing ideas.
- Collaboration with others.
- Creating and coordinating global solutions.
- Develop strategic policy for long-term positive change.
- Initiate safety solutions.
All that we have achieved in fishing safety is a result of the professional expertise and work by our members. We value your time and your skills. THANK YOU. (maybe include a photo of Cor smiling here?
Fish Platform Membership Rules
Application to be a Member
Membership of the FISH Platform is individual, as the purpose of the Platform is to improve fishing health and safety internationally. Members who are also representatives of an organization shall not be bound by their representative rules from that organization, and the organization will not be counted as responsible for the members views within the FISH Platform.
To be appointed as a member applicants must apply for membership. Applicants will be required to be in good standing, and the application will be considered for approval by the governance committee.
Participant Members
Any individual involved in the health and safety of commercial fishing can become a participant member of the Fish Platform. Participant members are not obligated other than a willingness to participate with an open mind and to respect the views of other members.
Participant members can attend and participate in events and working groups and may propose agenda items, presentations and working group topics. Priority is given to items that align with the FISH Platform’s strategy.
Members shall be required to fulfill at least three of the following membership requirements:
- Politically represented the fishing industry at an international level (government / U.N.).
- Been a fisherman, or a representative of fishermen.
- Developed tools or products that have improved fishing health and safety.
- Operated on behalf of fishers at a national governmental level.
- Have internationally recognized fishing officer qualifications.
- Developed training or educational services for fishermen.
- Represented fishermen in associations, federations or another representative forum.
- Won awards or been commended for services to fishing health and safety.
- Has references from two national or internationally recognized fishing safety experts.
Commercial Interest
Membership can be withdrawn following a Governance Committee decision if there are concerns that a member is not following the principles of the FISH platform or is found to be using their membership primarily for commercial gain.
Governance Committee
Quorate decision making shall include a minimum of 4 countries represented. The country refers to the maritime nation (e.g. the U.K. is the maritime nation representing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) where there is discrepancy the United Nations list of member countries will be used as guidance. Participants from Countries not recognized by the United Nations may be [Participant members but not Representative members].
- Governance committee members must have participated in the FISH Platform for over 2 years.
- Governance committee members commit to actively participating in more than 50% of bi-annual meetings over a two-year period.
The Chairperson chairs the meeting of the Governance committee and the regular bi-annual meetings of the FISH Platform, with the exception of the meetings of the FISH Platform Asian branch which has its own chairperson.
The Chairperson of the Committee shall be a Representative member and will have a deciding vote where there is no outright majority.
The Chairperson shall have a term of two years and may be elected to serve no more than two consecutive terms.
The final agenda for meetings, conferences, and the terms of references of working groups, collectively known as events, shall be approved by the Governance Committee.
Working Groups
Working groups are decided at the FISH Platform Spring and Autumn meetings and will work to their specific terms of reference, which are approved by the governance committee. Each working group must have an international scope, and the output of the group must not provide a market or commercial advantage to its members or to fishers.
Where external input is advantageous to the working group, participation can be open to relevant subject expertise as listed in the working groups term of reference. All external participants shall agree to the membership rules of the FISH Platform.
Participation within a working group is by permission of the governance committee and the output of a working group must be approved by the Representative members before it can be shared publicly.
The chairman of a working group is required to maintain a list of participants involved in their working group, as well as a summary of each meeting within the Terms of Reference document.
Output from the group will be freely available to all once the representative membership group approves.
Representation
The FISH Platform is an international organization consisting of health and safety professionals interested in improving health and safety standards in commercial fishing throughout the world.
As an organization, The FISH Platform represent the health and safety professionals concerned with improving the health and safety of wild capture commercial fishing.
All representation as the FISH Platform will be global in scope to ensure that we are focused on creating solutions, regulations, guidance, and support that do not give any region, group, or individual advantage creating a potential disadvantage to others.