As the fall season sets in, an air of excitement grows within the fishing community in Southwest Nova Scotia.
The countdown is now on to the start of the, oftentimes gruelling, six-month, 2025–2026 lobster season. Captains and crews are busy preparing gear and fine-tuning vessel engines and gear—all in preparation for the season opening at the end of November.
Seasoned fishermen are taking meticulous care in ensuring everything is prepped and working perfectly for the big day, while younger crews are anxious to hit the water and prove themselves to their peers.
The level of excitement and anticipation is always high at this time of year, but there is one area that sometimes takes a back seat in all of the pre-lobster preparations — safety.
Every year, industry stakeholders emphasize the need for increased diligence on the water when it comes to safety — but every year accidents still unfortunately occur.
Many safety advances have been made in recent years to keep fishermen safe on the water.
The Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia (WCB) has stated that lobster fishing in the province is safer than it has ever been, but it still takes good decisions by leaders for a safe fishing season.
“For those captains with three or more employees, WCB coverage protects their crew and their families if something happens on the job. And the good news is, it’s happening less than it once did, thanks to work led by WCB in partnership with government and industry safety leaders.
According to the WCB, the sector’s injury rate has improved by 20 per cent over the last six years, in an industry with over 1,000 lobster boat captains in Nova Scotia.
Local industry safety advocate Fish Safe NS has a plethora of resources for captains and crews and reminds them to reach out if they have questions.
Fish Safe NS reminds lobster fishermen to do the following:
- Have the dumping day safety talk before setting sail.
- Ensure everyone onboard knows what safety gear needs to be there and where all the safety equipment is located.
- Review, practice and document emergency drills and ensure immersion suits still fit.
- Make sure you practice donning and doffing and folding your immersion suit as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
According to the most recent statistics from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), in 2023, a total of 1,031 marine transportation occurrences (accidents and incidents) were reported to the TSB, a decrease of 15 per cent from the previous year.
Of these occurrences, a total of 237 were marine accidents (199 shipping accidents and 38 accidents aboard ships), a slight decrease from 2022 (244) and eight per cent below the five-year average (258). A total of 66 of these accidents involved commercial fishing vessels, a decrease from the previous year (74) and below the five-year average (82).
Nine of the 237 accidents were fatal, resulting in 18 fatalities. A total of 10 of these fatalities were from five accidents within the Canadian commercial fishing industry.
All lobster boat captains should be empowering crewmembers to report and manage safety issues — it is one of the most important aspects of accident prevention. Creating a workplace where everyone feels like they can voice their concerns is vital to success and safety on a vessel.
Former astronaut Scott Kelly summed it up best when he said, “safety has to be everyone’s responsibility… everyone needs to know that they are empowered to speak up if there’s an issue.”
Be safe out there everyone.
