Although Admiralty Charts and Publications are primarily used by the merchant marine, they are also a valuable navigational source for a wide range of other mariners including fishermen, leisure mariners, ocean racers, divers, sea rescue services, environmentalists, researchers and Port Authorities.

Fishing is arguably the most dangerous occupation in the UK, with around 25 fatalities reported each year. The Sea Fish Industry Authority is essential in helping the fishing industry improve its safety record and publishes navigational information in the form of Kingfisher Charts. These charts are produced specifically for the fishing industry, and are highly regarded by those who use them.

The UKHO and Kingfisher are now working together to produce a new range of products and services for the fishing industry and promote Safety of Life at Sea.

Mini ECDIS for Fishermen
In response to concern over the number of accidents involving fishing vessels the Seafish Industry Authority (Seafish), the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) joined forces to produce a new data and performance specification for a Mini Electronic Display and Information System (mini-ECDIS) for fishermen. The project was funded by the Treasury Invest to Save Budget.

The mini-ECDIS performance standard has been developed in respect of fishing vessel navigation and operational equipment with reference to International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Resolution A817 (19) Performance Standards for ECDIS: The International Hydrographic Organisation S-52 Specifications for Chart Content and Display Aspects of ECDIS and the International Electrotechnical Commission IEC61174 standards for Operational and Performance Requirements, Testing and Required Test Results.

The UK MCA has accepted mini-ECDIS as meeting the requirements of SOLAS Chapter V for use in fishing and other small vessels in commercial use, under MCA Marine Guidance Note 262.

As a result of feedback from equipment developers the project concentrated on producing a denser coverage of standard S57 Ed 3 Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) data including additional wrecks, fisheries limits and bathymetry in a pilot area off the coast of South West England. The pilot data containing the additional information is now being evaluated by ECDIS manufacturers alongside the performance specification developed. The objective is to encourage manufacturers to develop future systems to the new specifications.

The use of official data and the opportunity for applications providers to develop value added services, such as real time 3D seafloor mapping, will lead to increased safety of operations in addition to the provision of fishing-specific data themes.