Board calls again for mandatory life jackets

MONCTON, N.B. — A boat capsizing that claimed the lives of two New Brunswick men last year serves as yet another example of why fishermen should be required to wear life-jackets, the Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday in a report highlighting a tragedy it says “is all-too-familiar in Canada’s commercial fishing industry.’’

The board concluded that unless provincial governments and Transport Canada require life-jackets or personal flotation devices, commercial fishermen remain more likely to die if they fall overboard.

An average of 10 commercial fishermen die each year in Canada, the board said. Commercial fishermen have long complained that lifejackets and PFDs restrict their movements and make it difficult to work with fishing gear.

“In nearly every other industry across Canada, provincial health and safety regulations set out rules to reduce the risks and promote a safe and healthy work environment. Commercial fishing, however, is not always included,’’ Joseph Hincke, a board member, said in a statement.