Bruce, I too was surprised that soap & water was preferred. I'm from the Tim Allen (Tim the Toolman Taylor) vein, I think bigger (stronger) is better.
Dr Blythe doesn't do much fishing, if any at all. His thought process is that flushing the wound with soap and water, will not cause any additional trauma to the skin surrounding the wound. Stronger solutions (alcohol, Betadine, bleach) will do this.
Additionally, he says to leave the wound open to the air. Do not cover it with an antiseptic cream and a bandage. Doing this, exposes the fisherman to anaerobic organisms (those not needing oxygen to replicate). These anaerobic organisms are dangerous as well.
On my boat, I may only have bottle water available. I can see flushing the wound with water, but then I might cover it (bandaid) because I'm continually dipping bait, and keeping my hands in harms way.
Today, I had a hook rip a gash in my finger. I used soap & water, then a clean paper towel to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. I went right back to "mateing". I couldn't quit, go sit down and say I was done for the day
My hand stayed wet all morning
I probably would have felt better with Betadine poured over the area as extra protection
Dr Blythe probably deals with people who injure themselves, get treatment, and go home for the rest of the day
I did find his Q & A session informative and thought provoking.
5th