Iceberg siege

An unusually dense flow of melting ice from the Arctic trapped several boats off Newfoundland during the first half of June, bringing the Maritime Province’s fishing season to a halt.

The Canadian Coast Guard says the ice has been so bad that its icebreaker Amundsen has been unable to free the trapped vessels.

The Coast Guard has instead been forced to rescue several crew members aboard the trapped ships by helicopter.

The snow crab season has been open for weeks, but most fishermen have been stuck ashore waiting for hazardous sea ice to pass.