Significant safety issues and goals associated with fishing accidents in Canadaįishing safety suffers when the principles of stability are not well understood, applied, or presented in a practical format.įishermen understand the principles of stability and apply this understanding to make fishing operations safer.įishermen are put at risk when fisheries resource management measures do not consider safety at all levels, from policy through to practice. The Board identified the significant safety issues and goals associated with fishing accidents in Canada as follows: Calculating exposure to risk is difficult because current measures of activity (e.g., number of crew and days at sea engaged in fishing operations) are not readily available and do not cover all aspects of fishing operations. However, these rates do not accurately reflect fishermen's exposure to risk. This information made it possible to identify various accident-related rates and assess the risks associated with commercial fishing vessel operations in Canada. In addition, the TSB gathered extensive data on fishing vessel operations, including types of vessels, gear, fishing location and crew size. It also reviewed fishing safety information and best practices in Canada and other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway and South Africa. The TSB reviewed these reports, their findings and the recommendations as part of this investigation. Since its creation in 1990, the TSB has produced over 370 investigation reports and made 42 safety recommendations concerning fishing vessels it has also issued at least 100 safety information and safety advisory letters on fishing safety. This report refers to these groups collectively as the “fishing community”. Investigators consulted over 300 fishermen, industry representatives and government agencies, including safety training institutions and trainers, fish processors, union representatives, members of fishing associations, provincial and federal regulators, marine underwriters and safety researchers. The investigation was conducted by a team of TSB investigators with expertise in commercial fishing, statistical and safety analysis, human factors, marine engineering and naval architecture.įrom August 2009 to September 2010, the TSB visited 10 locations in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia. The Board was concerned that an average of more than 13 people had died in fishing accidents in Canada each year between 19. In August 2009, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) began a broad safety issues investigation ( SII) into accidents involving commercial fishing vessels in Canada. This report sets out the process followed in the investigation, identifies why certain causes of accidents persist year after year, and provides a way forward that would make the industry safer.Ĭe rapport est également disponible en français. Consequently, in August 2009, the TSB began a broad safety issues investigation into accidents involving commercial fishing vessels in Canada. Most significantly, between 19, an average of 14 people died in fishing accidents each year.

However, despite the efforts of the Board and others in government and the private sector, many of the causes of fishing accidents today are the same as those identified by the TSB two decades ago. Since 1992 the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has made 42 recommendations concerning fishing safety, and many of these recommendations have been acted on.

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