The first in a series of meetings has been held to discuss water safety in Scotland following a spate of tragedies and near misses.
Community Safety Minister Ash Denham chaired the group alongside representatives from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Police Scotland and the RNLI.
The Scottish Government said it wanted to bring together senior leaders from a range of organisations to “reflect on recent tragic drowning incidents and identify ways of reducing the risk of future fatalities”.
Water safety in Scotland discussed after recent near misses in Tayside and Fife
It was agreed the group would identify further improvements to current safety practices and report back to a follow-up meeting next month.
Speaking after the meeting on Thursday, Ash Denham said the Scottish Government takes water safety “very seriously”.
She added: “This meeting was an opportunity for us to engage with key partners and reflect on the recent tragic incidents and look at what more can be done to mitigate risks and to educate people about the dangers of Scotland’s coastal and inland waters.
“Beautiful and enticing as they often appear, Scotland’s waters can be a source of lethal danger as we saw with the heart-breaking loss of lives this summer.
“I was heartened to hear a real determination and unity of purpose at Wednesday’s meeting for everyone to work together to improve water safety.”
Ms Denham added: “I am encouraged all participants agreed not only to review their own organisation’s approach and performance, but also to work collaboratively so that key, consistent messages get across to the public.
“We have agreed to come together again in a few weeks’ time to assess what further effort is required to ensure greater protection for the public in future.”
It follows incidents across Tayside and Fife in recent weeks where people have had to be rescued from open water after getting into difficulty.
On Wednesday two youngsters had to be taken to hospital after being rescued from the water near Tentsmuir Sands.
A further three people were hospitalised after a similar incident in Tentsmuir on Thursday, August 12.
And in July three people died after they drowned at Loch Lomond, including a nine-year-old boy.
On the same day a teenager was rescued from a pulpit at the Lomond Hills in Fife and had to be airlifted to hospital.