A total of 70 emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBS) were recently made available to commercial fishing enterprises in southern Labrador between L’Anse au Clair and Cartwright.
The donation was made possible through a living memorial to two young harvesters who lost their lives while fishing on the Island Lady on September 17, 2021. Marc Russell, aged 25 from Mary’s Harbour and Joey Jenkins, aged 30 from Lodge Bay, failed to return home to their community and were never found.
The Labrador Shrimp Company spearheaded the project in collaboration with the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Harvesting Safety Association (NL-FHSA), Fish Harvesters’ Resource Centre (FRC), Professional Fish Harvesters Certification Board (PFHCB) and the Fish Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor).
“We can all make a difference in our words and actions… and it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, everyone matters. At the Labrador Shrimp Company, everyone matters and when two of our young harvesters were lost at sea in 2021 and continue to be lost, it had a great impact, not only on their families, but also on our business and the community. It was the first time in 40 years of operation that we experienced such a tragedy. Fishing is our business and the fish harvesters who are shareholders in the Labrador Shrimp Company are like family and their safety is important to us. Workplace health and safety needs to be at the forefront everyday regardless of the nature of the work and the hazards and risks involved. Because one loss of life, is one too many,” said Gilbert Linstead, General Manager of the Labrador Shrimp Company.
Marc Russell’s parents, Dwight and Jeanette Russell, spoke to the tragedy of losing their son.
“Our son Marc and his crew member, Joey Jenkins, were lost at sea on September 17, 2021, while removing their cod nets from the water near Battle Harbour, Labrador. They were tremendous young men whom many saw as the future of the commercial cod fishery in Labrador. They were smart, hardworking, capable and well-respected by their friends and fellow fishers, but most especially they were well-loved by their families. We can tell you, having personally experienced it, that the emotional toll and anguish of losing a child at sea is immeasurable. It is a pain that defies comprehension, and we hope no other family ever has to experience this pain. We do not know what happened on September 17, 2021 and we live with the reality that we may never have answers to our questions. Each day, we live in the aftermath of a tragedy that is permanently etched on our hearts and in our minds. It is something we will live with for the rest of our lives. Our goal is to ensure it never happens to another fish harvester. Losing Marc has taught us the fragility of life, the need to savor every moment, and the importance of improved safety measures within the fishery, especially the inshore fishery.”
The Russells said an EPIRB on every vessel will ensure that tragedies like theirs will be prevented.
The Labrador Shrimp Company is one of Newfoundland’s most successful fish processors, operating five processing plants and employing hundreds of fish harvesters and plant workers. The company is locally owned by fishers of L’Anse au Clair to Cartwright Region and is focused on sustainable development with emphasis on job creation and premium, quality production.
