The Arctic Fox II reported finding water off the west coast of Vancouver Island in August 2020. With its main engine shut down, the crew prepared to abandon ship. The crew partially donned their immersion suits, but the life raft they were trying to deploy went into the ocean without inflating. The report said the captain and a crew member went into the ocean after that. The crew member inflated the raft and got in, but the other two men did not make it and their bodies were later recovered in their immersion suits only partially. The survivor in the raft was later rescued by the US Coast Guard. The report released Tuesday made several findings, including that the captain and crew were not prepared for emergencies, were tired after long hours of fishing and that the vessel was poorly maintained. The Security Council noted that the security of commercial fisheries has been on the watch list for more than 10 years. “Commercial fishing continues to be one of the most dangerous occupations in the country. Each year, the same safety deficiencies on fishing vessels continue to endanger the lives of thousands of Canadian commercial fish harvesters,” the safety board said in a statement. He said a strong safety culture is a shared responsibility and essential to save lives. “Regulators, boat owners and fishermen must take responsibility for reducing accidents and avoidable loss of life.”
