Fishing boat beacons could lower risks of Canada’s deadliest job: report
Posted Nov 29, 2018 11:20 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX — A Senate committee is recommending mandatory use of radio beacons on fishing vessels in an effort to curb fatalities in Canada’s deadliest sector.
A report from the Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans says equipping fishing vessels with emergency position-indicating radio beacons would help improve response times for search and rescue operations.
The report, which focused on Maritime search and rescue operations, says the commercial fishing industry has the highest fatality rate of any employment sector in Canada — an average of one death per month.
The committee is also recommending the Canadian Coast Guard become a separate statutory agency, making it accountable to the federal transport minister and allowing for more long-term capital planning with predictable funding.
The report also makes a number of recommendations aimed at bolstering search and rescue resources in the Canadian Arctic, where marine traffic is forecast to increase.
Sen. Fabian Manning told a news conference in Ottawa there is a “major void” of search and rescue operations in Canada’s North, including a lack of facilities and training.
The Canadian Press
