Report on deaths of 4 fishermen in Placentia Bay leaves family still looking for answers
Transportation Safety Board of Canada released its investigation report on Wednesday
The wife of a fisherman who died when the Sarah Anne fishing boat sank nearly two years ago says her family is still without answers, following the release of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada's investigation report Wednesday.
Melissa Mayo-Norman said Wednesday was an emotional day for her and the other families, who are still mourning the May 2020 loss of the Sarah Anne's four-man crew of Scott Norman, 35 — Mayo-Norman's husband — Eddie Joe Norman, 67, Jody Norman, 42, and Isaac Kettle, 33, all from St. Lawrence, on Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula.
"We were hoping for some closure, which we didn't receive," Mayo-Norman said.
"Unfortunately we were given no answers as to what may have happened that day, only what recommendations they could give for the Newfoundland fishermen."
The board's report said the vessel, which was fishing for snow crab in Placentia Bay, likely suddenly capsized, throwing the crew into the water without life-saving equipment and before a distress signal could be sent.
The board's investigation also noted the vessel's instability may have been a factor in its capsizing.
"The TSB created a model of the Sarah Anne from a sister vessel and completed a stability analysis. The analysis showed that the Sarah Anne was likely operating outside of stability limits and that the vessel stability limit would have deteriorated as the trip progressed," said Clifford Harvey, the board's director of marine investigation, on Wednesday.
"Without a formal stability assessment, the crew made operating decisions without knowing the vessel's actual safe operating limits. This may have negatively affected the vessel's stability and led to its capsizing and sinking."
Further investigation wanted
Mayo-Norman said she feels the investigation was overly focused on the boat's stability, and said modifications made to the Sarah Anne's hull were submitted to the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which gave the crew the understanding that they met the safety requirements for the trip.
On Wednesday the TSB recommended that all Canadian commercial fishing vessels maintain registrations with both Transport Canada and DFO registration, because DFO regulates fishing, while Transport Canada regulates safety. But the board said about 4,000 fishing vessels in Newfoundland and Labrador are registered only with DFO.
Mayo-Norman said she supports the recommendation because there she feels there wasn't enough co-ordination between the two federal bodies when it came to the Sarah Anne.
"I feel that if there was more communications between the DFO and Transport Canada that fishermen would be more aware of the stability requirement and the other available options," she said.
Mayo-Norman said she'd also like to see more enforcement done on the water.
"There's never enough done out there, considering the amount of people in Newfoundland and Labrador that fish," she said.
With files from Carolyn Stokes
