A long-time maritime safety advocate is calling for a federal inquiry into the factors resulting in a growing number of fatalities in the province’s fishing industry.

Merv Wiseman was responding to two recent tragedies involving the sudden sinking of the Sarah Ann in Placentia Bay and the Island Lady off the southeast coast of Labrador that claimed the lives of six men in total.

Wiseman says vessel stability, access to emergency equipment like EPIRBS, Search and Rescue response times and fishing regulations are all factors that need to be examined to prevent future tragedies and help make the industry safer.

He says there’s a lot of accountability that needs to be brought out that just can’t happen without a Commission of Inquiry. “So why not? Let’s do it,” he urges.