Newfoundland and Labrador anglers urged to use lifejackets

Pick any day of the week and you will find someone or a host of people lined up to drop a line in this province.

Fishing or troutin’ is a popular activity for anglers throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Ensuring those fishermen are safe during those outings is paramount and the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC) is encouraging all anglers to use the utmost safety during this fishing season. During the week of June 30 to July 8, the CSBC will host its annual Hooked on Lifejackets campaign to run in conjunction with National Fishing Week.

Hooked on Lifejackets will focus on promoting basic safe boating behaviours and one that has the greatest potential to save lives: wearing a lifejacket.

The CSBC says the majority of victims in these tragic accidents are males ranging in age from 19 to 35.

The myth still exists, despite countless unnecessary accidents that if you are a good swimmer you don’t need a life jacket. But accidents, the majority of them unexpected, are when you need a lifejacket or Personal Floatation Device (PFD) the most.

“It’s not enough to just have a lifejacket on board your boat or with your gear. Putting on a lifejacket when you need it is like putting on a seatbelt in a car crash,” Angela Johnson, training programs manager at Lifesaving Society New Brunswick said in the release.

Wearing a lifejacket is not as cumbersome as it once was as they have been streamlined through years of testing and development and are designed now for specific needs of individuals who employ them.

These lifejackets are rugged, allow for full freedom of movement to cast and are constructed with lots of pockets for gear. Some even come equipped with an attachment from which to hang a landing net. When choosing their lifejacket, anglers should also check the label to make sure it is Transport Canada approved, is the correct size and fits snugly.