Safety Training for Fish Harvesters, by Fish Harvesters
As part of a five-year action plan, the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Harvesting Safety Association (NL-FHSA) is rolling out safety designate training for fish harvesters.
“One of the things when we developed our strategic plan was fishing vessel safety designate training,” said NL-FHSA Executive Director Brenda Greenslade.
“The training has been approved and we’re in the process of making it available to harvesters. So, the first thing we have to do is test it because it’s ...
Safety Deficiencies Found During Small Fishing Vessel Inspections by Transport Canada
While safety on the water is paramount to all commercial fishers, Transport Canada is reporting that it continues to find deficiencies when conducting recent inspections of small fishing vessels in the Atlantic region.
“Safety is a shared responsibility and it is important that all segments of the fishing industry continue their contribution to the implementation of the safety culture,” said Sau Sau Liu, Senior Communications Advisor for Transport Canada.
Lui said the most common ...
Why We Need to Refocus on Being Safe at Sea
Measuring the true cost of not being safe at sea is not an easy task.
There are many factors to consider, but I can tell you when you do calculate the total cost the answer every time is that it’s too much.
Since December 2020, eight fish harvesters have died in Nova Scotia.
The entire crew of the F/V Chief William Saulis, the captain of the F/V Miss Janet and most recently a crew member from the F/V Mucktown Girl.
I don’t know about you, but reflecting on those statistics gives ...
Major Modifications and Stability
No two vessels’ stability characteristics are the same.
Some vessels have similar stability but the stability of one vessel is never identical to another. Even so-called “sister” vessels will likely have different stability features.
The specifics of a vessel’s stability are determined by aspects such as hull form, displacement, freeboard, centre of gravity and vessel operations. For fishing vessels, operations would include such things as amount of fishing gear carried, where it ...
Project Aims to Save Lives by Making PLBs Accessible to N.L. Fish Harvesters
Fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador are celebrating an important project that aims to make personal locator beacons (PLBs) accessible to all fish harvesters in the province.
A collaboration between the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Harvesting Safety Association (NL-FHSA), Fish Harvesters’ Resource Centre (FRC), Professional Fish Harvesters Certification Board (PFHCB) and the Fish Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) will subsidize costs, making PLBs available to fish ...
Fishing Safety Knows No Boundaries or Borders
“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore” — Vincent Van Gogh.
Through many of his masterpieces, Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh had a genuine appreciation and empathy for the dangers faced by fishermen every time they set out on the water. Skip ahead more than a century to present day and commercial fishing is still a dangerous professional and tragically still ...
More than 100 N.L. Fishing Vessels to be Equipped with AEDs
Trained Crews Ready to Act in a Cardiac Emergency at Sea
The crews of 105 fishing vessels in Newfoundland and Labrador will be safer at sea now that each vessel will have an automated external defibrillator (AED).
The funding was provided by the Hibernia Management and Development Company Ltd. (HMDC) and the Heart & Stroke’s collaboration with the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Harvesting Safety Association (NL-FHSA) the Fish Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW/UNIFOR), the ...
Fisheries Safety Association Rebranded Fish Safe N.S.
Above photo: Fish Safe N.S. has a new mobile training unit to use when visiting wharves around the province to promote safety on the water. Contributed
The Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia has a new name and a new mobile training unit that has been put to good use this fall as commercial lobster fisheries in southwestern Nova Scotia gear up for the season.
The conversation to change the association’s name to Fish Safe N.S. started over a year ago, said Matthew ...
Stability Assessments: Your Best Option for Vessel Safety
Stability is an ongoing topic of discussion in the fishing industry.
Knowing about the stability characteristics and limitations of your vessel is probably the single most important safety consideration for any vessel owner. Most vessel owners and operators have a reasonable understanding of stability, but the value of having a stability analysis completed for your vessel cannot be overstated.
Vessel operators with years of experience on a particular boat certainly have the skill and ...
Crew Safe After Fire Onboard OCI Scallop Vessel
Above photo: Courtesy of TSB.
At approximately noon NST, Ocean Choice received notice from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre that the Atlantic Destiny succumbed to damages sustained on the evening of March 2 and the vessel has sunk.
“While we are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our offshore fishing vessels, we are extremely relieved and thankful that all of our 31 crew members were safely transported ashore and are currently in the process of reuniting with their families ...
