Passed on: Max Short
St. Anthony, N.L. fisherman
Short, 88, passed away on October 25. Max was born on December 24, 1936, in the town of St. Anthony, N.L. He lived and grew up in Lock’s Cove and moved to St. Anthony in 1965. He started his career as an inshore fisherman and to further educate himself and help the fishing community he became a diesel mechanic. This career path eventually prepared Max for a new role to become one of the leaders in the Fisherman’s Union (FFAW). After 40 years with the union, he became a Senior Advisor to the Federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and worked closely with the Prime Minister. While in this position, a few highlights to mention were the Turbot Wars, International involvement and key decision maker with North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), Member of the Fisheries Resource Council (FRCC) and Canada-Norway Sealing Commission, Director of the Canadian Saltfish Corporation and a Member of the Harris Panel reviewing the state of Northern cod. Max continued to be an advisor until the tender age of 82. As recognition of his dedication to the people of his province, he was presented with two awards; the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador and King Charles III Coronation medal.
Passed on: Desmond Paul
Ferryland, N.L. mariner
Paul, 70, passed away on October 2, 2025. He dedicated much of his life to a career at sea, spending many years working far from home. His work took him across the world, sailing the oceans aboard fishing draggers, lake boats and oil rigs. In those places, he met many people and formed friendships that lasted a lifetime. A special mention goes to the men and women aboard the Terra Nova FPSO, where he worked from 2000 until his retirement in 2022.
Passed on: Randy Stacey
Fortune, N.L. fish plant worker
Stacey, 57, passed away on October 17. Randy took great pride in his work as a forklift operator at Clearwater Seafoods in Grand Bank. He cherished his work, colleagues and friends, and he longed to return to his job when he was well enough.
Passed on: Mona Gavin
La Scie, N.L. DFO employee
Gavin, 68, passed away on October 15. Mona was a hard worker, spending 16 years on the assembly line at the local fish plant before returning to school and embarking on a career she loved with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Springdale. She took great pride in her work, going above and beyond for her clients, and earned the respect and admiration of the fishing community.
Passed on: Leslie Harris
Enfield, N.S. DFO biologist
Harris, 73, passed away on October 11. Les was born in Montreal and spent his childhood and teenage years there. He attended McGill University, graduating with a degree in Biology in 1974. Les moved to Nova Scotia in 1977, where he became a Fisheries Observer for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) monitoring the fishing activities of foreign vessels in Canadian waters. Thereafter, he became a Biologist for DFO at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. His specialty was plankton and he participated in many research cruises between 1978 and his retirement in 2008, in areas from the high Arctic to the tropics, in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. During the 1980s, Les also worked for extended periods in Barrow Strait, near Resolute Bay, in the high Arctic. There, sampling involved building camps on the ice-covered water and drilling through two metres of ice to reach the plankton, all the while with shotguns on hand in case any polar bears dropped by.
Passed on: Kevin Boudreau
Digby, N.S. clam digger
Boudreau, 69, passed away on October 16. Kevin was born in Digby on August 14, 1956 to parents Charlie and Adeline (Maillet) Boudreau. For most of his life, Kevin worked on the beaches as a clam digger. Anybody who knew him knew that he loved his family dearly and was always there for them.
Passed on: Robbie LeBlanc
Meteghan, N.S. fisherman
LeBlanc, 86, passed away on October 15. Born in Meteghan, he was a son of the late Genevieve LeBlanc.
Robbie was a very hard worker and enjoyed doing firewood. He also enjoyed deer hunting. During most of his working life, he was a lobster fisherman as well as a scallop fisherman.
Passed on: James Doucet
Saulnierville, N.S. fisherman
Doucet, 85, passed away on October 7. James lived a full and hardworking life defined by dedication to his family, his love of the outdoors, and the sea he knew so well. He began his working life with pursuing his passion for the sea as a fisherman with Comeau’s Sea Foods. He spent many years fishing on his own dragger boat before again joining Comeau’s Sea Foods, where he worked until his retirement.
Passed on: Victor Westhaver
Liverpool, N.S. fisherman
Westhaver, 73, passed away on October 3.
Born in Liverpool, Vic was a son of the late George and Jean (Stevens) Westhaver. He found true happiness outdoors and was never more at peace than when he was on the water, doing what he loved most — fishing.
Passed on: Joseph Camus
Cheticamp, N.S. fish buyer
Camus, 67, passed away on September 18. He worked as a plant worker and fish buyer for the past 50 years. Everyone that knew him enjoyed his sense of humor, and easy going and joyful personality.
Passed on: Christopher DeViller
Melbourne, N.S. fisherman
DeViller, 64, passed away on September 25. Born on February 8, 1961, in Yarmouth, he was the son of the late Ernie and Connie (Hines) DeViller. Chris began lobster fishing at the young age of 16, dedicating 48 years to life at sea. Over the years, his hard work also included Irish mossing, rock weeding, clamming and gillnetting. Known for his tireless work ethic and generous nature, Chris was always ready to lend a hand to his family and others in need. He had a way of making people feel good about themselves.
Passed on: Paul Surette
Yarmouth, N.S. mariner
Surette, 81, passed away on October 15. Born on October 7, 1944, he was a son of the late Dennis and Emily (Doucet) Surette. Paul worked for CN Marine – Marine Atlantic and retired with Bay Ferries. He was hard-working and enjoyed the simpler things in life, like the outdoors, hunting and fishing.
Passed on: Thadee Cottreau
Wedgeport, N.S. fisherman
Cottreau, 86, passed away on October 5. Born on January 7, 1939, Ted was a man defined by his hard work, quiet faith, and unwavering loyalty to his family. He was a lifelong fisherman who spent his career working on the water, earning the respect of those who knew him.
Passed on: Enslie Atwood
Clarks Harbour, N.S. fisherman
Atwood, 70, passed away on October 3. Enslie was a devoted family man. He had a passion for the sea, which started at a young age. He spent many years on the sea, and never let having treatments the past couple years slow him down. When he wasn’t lobstering, you could find him going to Tim’s with his dogs and gabbing with friends.
Passed on: Joseph Sippley
Baie-Sainte-Anne, N.B. fisherman
Sippley, 70, was a devoted fisherman whose life was deeply intertwined with the sea. On October 14, 2025, after being missing for almost two weeks, he was found after doing what he loved most all his life, off the coast of Prince Edward Island. Born on January 14, 1955, in Chatham, New Brunswick, the son of Samuel and Leonise Sippley, he lived to the age of 70, leaving behind a legacy of quiet strength, simple joys and unwavering love for his family, the water and the outdoors. He was a man of the sea and the woods, a fisherman and woodworker who spent most of his life pursuing his passions. With no fear of the water — his second home — he knew every rock, channel, island and secret fishing spot along the shore. Retiring from the Baie-Sainte-Anne
Fishery Co-op, he continued to fish leisurely.
Passed on: Gerald Nickerson
Brass Hill, N.S. mariner
Nickerson, 77, passed away on September 27. He loved to read local literature and also spent time connecting people through genealogy. Gerald was a very passionate fisherman and engineer aboard the Clearwater boats. He spent many hours supporting his children and grandchildren at sporting events. Gerald enjoyed building boats and tinkering on many of his homemade inventions.
Passed on: Timothy Adams
West Pubnico, N.S. fisherman
Adams, 53, passed away on October 3. Born in Yarmouth Regional Hospital, he was a son of the late Vernon and Virginia (Muise) Adams. A seasoned lobster fisherman and skilled boatbuilder, Tim’s craftsmanship and dedication to quality can still be seen along the wharves of the province.
Passed on: Gary Belliveau
Arcadia, N.S. DFO fisheries officer
Belliveau, 72, passed away on October 12. Born on October 5, 1953, he was the only son of the late William and Doris (Simms) Belliveau. In his younger years, Gary worked in the fishing industry, which led him to a long and fulfilling career as a Fisheries Officer with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), where he proudly served for over 35 years.
