Peter Winsor
Builder | N.L.
Peter (Pete) Winsor was born and raised in the Northeast Coast town of Triton, Newfoundland and Labrador. From his earliest memory, Pete has always had a fascination of boats — of every size and shape. As a young fellow growing up in a fishing community, Pete took every opportunity to get onboard a boat and get out on the water.
A formative event for Pete occurred in 1979 when several 300-foot Cuban factory freezer trawlers tied up off Triton to collect squid — right behind his house. He got to visit the trawlers and explore every inch of the vessels. Pete was hooked. At the same time, the Marine Centre was being built in Triton and all of this boat activity had a lasting impression on Pete.
At the age of 19, he studied welding and landed his first job at the Shipyard in Glovertown where he got the opportunity to work with the late Ford Dowden. Pete credits most of his knowledge and success to working with Ford. After having a pivotal role in constructing five boats in Glovertown, Pete spent some time in the mining industry, but the saltwater was always calling and he returned in 1992 and took a job at the Triton Marine Centre.
In 1994, Pete became a partner in the Marine Centre and in the subsequent 11 years, the local yard built 38 fishing vessels, ranging from 45 to 70-feet long. Along with all of the new builds, the yard was also very busy with vessel repairs and maintenance for the fishing fleet. Pete even got into the aluminum diamond drill business for several years.
A few years later, Pete and a business partner purchased the Triton Marine Centre outright and Mid-Island Marine was born. In 2020, Pete became the sole owner of the busy and well-known Triton marine fabrication and repair facility.
In recent years, Pete’s 30-person team has built an additional seven boats, but the majority of the yard’s work is centred around vessel repairs and refits.
While considered one of the best boat builders in the province, Pete is humble, thanking his hardworking staff for his success, adding he is always open to advice and new ideas on how to do a job.
Gilbert Linstead
Processor | N.L.
Gilbert Linstead, born and raised in L’Anse au Loup, Labrador, has been involved in the fishery for most of his life. He started fishing with his father at a very young age and later completed his post-secondary education at the College of Fisheries, now the Marine Institute.
In 1981, he joined the Labrador Fisherman’s Union Shrimp Company Limited (LFUSCL), a cooperatively-owned company that is owned by the full-time fishers of coastal Labrador. He rose through the organization to become general manager of the company in 1989, a position he still holds today.
Under Gilbert’s leadership, the LFUSCL became one of the great success stories of the fishing industry in the province.
The LFUSCL has seen tremendous growth under Gilbert’s leadership. In 1989, the company’s sales were approximately $4 million, but in 2025 that number has grown to $130 million. He has also overseen the building of modern fish plants along the Labrador coast. The LFUSCL also owns the Northern Osprey III, one of the newest and most advanced shrimp vessels in the country.
Gilbert is known as a hardworking, responsible and forthright individual and these characteristics have been recognized and respected on the numerous boards and industry associations on which he has served. He has held memberships with the Fisheries Council of Canada, Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation, Northern Shrimp Advisory Committee, Northern Shrimp Research Foundation, Groundfish Advisory Committee for the Gulf Region, Pelagics Advisory Committee, Northern Coalition and the Association of Seafood Producers.
Gilbert is well respected within the fishing industry as evidenced by his election as Chair of the Fisheries Council of Canada in 2006.
He was also instrumental in the establishment of the community council for L’Anse au Loup in 1975 and served as secretary/treasurer for the council from 1975 to 1980. He championed the establishment of the Eagle River Credit Union and served on the board as vice-president for approximately three years. In 2014, Gilbert received the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador for leadership in community activities in Southern Labrador and for his contributions to the growth and development of the fishery in the province.
Michael A. Dobbin
Mariner | N.L.
Michael A. Dobbin was born in 1942 on Colinet Island in St. Mary’s Bay and grew up there until resettlement to Admiral’s Beach in the early 1960s. As a young man he became a skilled fisherman and became involved with building a variety of boats, including dories, skiffs, speedboats and longliners. In 1976, the Darrell & Denise was launched, a 50-foot longliner he built with his brothers using wood they cut and manufactured in their own sawmill. He partnered with his brother Ronnie and this began his long and successful career as a mariner.
Michael was not only a boatbuilder, but also became skilled in building cod traps and introduced the first Japanese style trap for that area of the province. He also built squid rollers, and seines for fishing capelin and herring, which are still being used today.
In the 1970s, he assisted in planning and building the fish plant in Admiral’s Beach to expand the industry in his community and to help other fishers around the southeast coast. In the mid-1980s, he was instrumental in gaining support and funding to build a marine centre in Admiral’s Beach equipped with a boat carrier/launcher which supported mariners from all around the Avalon Peninsula.
Michael was very passionate about the fishing industry and was involved for many years with the fisherman’s union in negotiating better prices for all fishers and establishing ways to manage stocks and maintain a healthy industry. He was also a long-time member of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary N.L. Branch and assisted in the rescue of the Tamil refugees in 1986. He also served as the mayor, deputy mayor, assistant fire chief and fire chief of the community over the years.
Michael also excelled as a talented musician and accordion player and was a member of the Folk of the Sea Choir, which was made up of fishers, plant workers and harvesters from all around the Island and Labrador.
