Identification and analysis of deficiencies in accident reporting mechanisms for fisheries

Commercial fishing is the most dangerous of professional callings, widely recognized as a major source of fatalities and injuries per population size within participating nations. The majority of reported fisheries injury accident data from a state is based solely on self-completed reporting formats. These formats are currently significantly limiting in their ability to tease out the incident specifics, being insufficiently detail orientated to adequately capture the range of contributing factors in the events that unfolded onboard. The content of these report forms ultimately determines the depth to which accidents may be probed in the interest of preventative learning. The problem faced by researchers is that the paucity of information on the circumstances of accident occurrences in these records, makes it a matter of gleaning every possible detail from relatively blank canvases. This article aims to focus the diffuse literary knowledge of the deficiencies pertinent to accident reporting in fisheries and subsequent knowledge extraction capabilities. Critiquing current reporting mechanisms, with a view to illustrating the extent of the problems, promoting the necessity for change and provoking discussion on how accident reporting could be improved in the future. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.