Community grieves loss of fishermen
YARMOUTH — If there is one thing Yarmouth prides itself on, it is being a fishing community.
A community where men and women work hard, long hours on the sea and on shore, and there likely isn't anyone not somehow connected to somebody who earns their living on the sea.
There are ups. And there are downs.
It's almost like wedding vows. For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health.
And sometimes, tragically, ‘till death do us part.
Southwestern Nova Scotia has not been immune to loss, heartbreak and tragedy on the sea. Sometimes lives are taken one at a time. Sometimes all at once. Fishing vessel names — like the Miss Ally and the Silver King, as examples — are reminders that a livelihood on the sea is unpredictable. And it can also be cruel.
And now comes more heartache.
The scallop dragger Chief William Saulis and its sixmember crew was on its way into port on Tuesday when something went terribly wrong. Debris from the 50foot vessel, including empty life-rafts, began washing up on shore around Delaps Cove in Annapolis County. A positionindicating radio beacon on the vessel was activated at about 5:50 a.m. But there was no distress call. Attempts to reach the vessel by cellphone were unsuccessful.
The vessel had been fishing since Saturday. Aboard were Capt. Charles Roberts and crew members Aaron Cogswell, Michael Drake, Daniel Forbes, Geno Francis and Leonard Gabriel.
In Yarmouth, where most of the crew members are from, people turned to social media, praying the fishermen would be found safe.
Late Tuesday evening it was announced that a body had been recovered.
HEARTBREAK AT HOME
“Words certainly don't come easy,” Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood said in addressing the community on Wednesday morning. “Our entire community is absolutely devastated by the news of the lost crew. To the family, friends of those lost, please know that you are in our thoughts, you are in our prayers, we care so very deeply about you.”
“We are a fishing community first and foremost. Fishing is not a job, it's a way of life,” she said. “Nothing can compare to going out on the sea and nothing can prepare us for what's happened.”
Mood — who knows family members of the crew and who says two of the crew members used to come into her dad's store every day of her childhood life — added, “We need to care for each other. We need to reach out to your neighbours, to your friends, to the families that need it the most. That's what we need to do right now."
A LIVING ON THE SEA
In southwestern Nova Scotia the scallop industry runs yearround. When it comes to the Full Bay Scallop Association, the number of boats taking part in the fishery ranges from 40 to 70 boats a year.
Alain d'Entremont, president of the association, had known Charles Roberts, the captain of the Chief William Saulis, for a long time. The other crew members he knew to say hello to on the wharf.
About Roberts he said, “He's well known in the fishery and always came back with an above average trip. He was a pretty fierce fisherman and very good at what he did. Every time I talked to him he was just super polite and just a super nice guy.”
D'Entremont said this was a difficult time for the association and also Yarmouth Sea Products, the company that owned the dragger.
The company said a review of its records indicated that all required maintenance and inspections of safety equipment on the vessel were up to date. The company said the vessel's black box, which sends hourly updates, indicated the vessel left the fishing grounds at about 1 a.m. on Dec. 15 to head home. The signal stopped around 6 a.m.
The company said Roberts was an experienced fishing captain on scallop draggers and highly regarded by his industry peers. The crew members, it said, were also experienced fishermen.
D'Entremont, meanwhile, said everyone's thoughts are with the families, as the industry also copes.
“There's a lot of discussion between captains, crews and vessel owners, just trying to make sure that everyone is OK,” he said. “There's a lot of tough conversations with tough scallop fishermen who are breaking down and are all choked up. We all realize that it could have been any of our boats, ourselves, our crews or even our families out there. It's a horrible tragedy that we hope never happens, but sometimes it does.”
SEARCH SUSPENDED
Late Wednesday — 36 hours into the mishap — the RCMP assumed the lead role in the search for the five missing fishermen. At 5 p.m. the Joint Rescue Co-Ordination Centre ended its search for the men.
The RCMP was being supported by the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office, Nova Scotia Public Safety and Field Communications, Department of Fisheries and Oceans and ground search and rescue teams from West Hants, Valley, Annapolis, Digby, Clare and Yarmouth. The ground search zone spans a 55-kilometre stretch of shoreline from Delaps Cove to Margarestville in Annapolis County.
Ground search efforts were being focused during daylight hours due to the hazardous and dangerous conditions on the shoreline in the overnight hours, including ice buildups and pounding surf.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada deployed a team of investigators to investigate the sinking.