Passed On: Vernon Petten — Port de Grave, N.L. fish harvester and ship builder
Petten, 90, passed away on January 17, 2025. He was born on January 13, 1935. Petten was born into a fishing family and fishing was in his blood. He became a very successful fisherman, enterprise owner and a master boat builder widely known for his superb craftsmanship as a boatwright. For Petten, work was a blessing not a burden, and as 2025 began, he was back in the shed preparing the ropes and bridles for another fishing season.
Passed On: Laurent Comeau — Saulnierville, N.S. fish plant worker
Comeau, 89, passed away in Meteghan on January 19, 2025. He was born in Saulnierville Station on August 10, 1935. In his retirement, Comeau worked at Comeau Sea Foods.
Passed On: Robert Deveau — Mavillette, N.S. fish harvester
Deveau, 72, passed away in Yarmouth, N.S. on January 13, 2025. He was born in Mavillette, N.S. on May 16, 1952. Deveau built his own boat, Trinity Gull, with which he fished for many years.
Passed On: Donald Perry — Clark’s Harbour, N.S. fish harvester
Perry, 85, passed away at home on January 14, 2025. He was born on June 17, 1939. Perry was a fisherman all of his working life aboard the FV Trudy and Doug. From his home, he could watch the boats coming and going from the Clark’s Harbour wharf. He always knew how rough the sea was by watching to see if there was “white water” around Green Island.
Passed On: George Baker — Nova Scotia mariner
Baker, 94, passed away in Yarmouth, N.S. on January 11, 2025. He was born on October 17, 1930. Baker worked as a purser aboard the MV Bluenose for 35 years.
Passed On: Elaine Mosher — Bridgewater, N.S. fish harvester
Mosher, 60, passed away on January 5, 2025. She was born in Bridgewater on November 26, 1964. Mosher shared a deep love for the ocean and her family’s fishing tradition. In her youth, she could be seen at the helm, steering the boat or banding lobster for her dad. No job was off limits as a fisherman’s daughter.
Passed On: James Beshara — Saint John, N.B. ship builder
Beshara, 77, passed away in Saint John on January 21, 2025. He was born in Saint John on December 6, 1947. Beshara worked at the Saint John drydock until his retirement.
Passed On: Marvin Mitchell — Campobello Island, N.B. fish harvester
Mitchell, 86, passed away in St. Stephen, N.B. on December 30, 2024. He was born on Campobello Island in 1938. Mitchell dedicated his life to herring, not just fishing them, but celebrating them with a devotion that bordered on reverence. A proud fisherman, he spent decades braving the waves, perfecting his craft, and earning his place as a local legend. Whether it was seining, shutting off, or teaching his son Francis the ways of the trade, Marv found his purpose on the water.
Passed On: Rowena Hopkins — Newfoundland and Labrador fish plant worker
Hopkins, 88, passed away on January 12, 2025. She was born on May 16, 1936. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, Hopkins worked at the fish plant in Englee, N.L.
Passed On: Lorne Beazley — Burin, N.L. fish plant worker and ship builder
Beazley, 93, passed away in Burin on January 3, 2025. He was born in Burin on October 13, 1931. Beazley’s first job was working at the local fish plant. Later in life, he went to work at the shipyard in Marystown until his retirement in 1997. He loved to make pleasure boats, model boats and dories.
Passed On: Edwin Conrad — Bridgewater, N.S. fish harvester
Conrad, 71, passed away on January 1, 2025. He was born on December 5, 1953. Conrad began his working life as a scallop fisherman in his teens out of Riverport, N.S., when the bay was filled with fishing boats and there were thriving fish plants to process the catch.
Passed On: Percy Bourque — Richmond, N.S. fish harvester
Bourque, 65, passed away in Yarmouth, N.S. on January 13, 2025. He was born on June 30, 1959. Bourque worked a lobster fisherman for several years before joining the Department of Transportation.
Passed On: Garry Molloy — Witless Bay, N.L. fish harvester
Molloy, 69, passed away in St. John’s, N.L. on January 13, 2025. He was born in Portugal Cove, N.L. on May 23, 1955. Molloy lived much of his life on the sea, whether inshore fishing with his father or on draggers from the FPI fish plant. Later he took on work farther afield, including in Greenland.
