The Twine Loft – May 2022

Passed On: Jeremy Hart – Windsor Junction, N.S. fisherman

Hart, 35, passed away suddenly on March 13. He was born with a zest for life in Halifax on November 30, 1986, to Paige Lewis (Foggoa) and Dean Hart. At age 18, he headed out West to the oil fields doing glycoltration, later becoming a certified rope access technician. That work took him from coast to coast across the country he loved, doing many jobs which found him with his head high in the clouds at the top of a windmill, hanging under a bridge, rappelling down the side of a cliff or climbing the racks in the oil fields. Along with being a level 1 rope access tech, he was a construction worker, roofer, silviculturist, insulator and most recently a fisherman, checking one more thing off his bucket list.

Passed On: Joseph Fiset – Petit Étang, N.S. fisherman

Fiset, 68, passed away on March 8 at the Sacred Heart Community Health Centre, Cheticamp. He was a son of the late Pierre and the late Josephine (Doucet) Fiset. He was a fisherman most of his life, having started fishing with his father after high school. Later in life, he and his brother became the owners of the crab boat Helene-Pierre, from which he retired in 2004.

Passed On: Raymond England – Steep Creek, N.S. fish plant worker

England, 80, passed away on March 1. Born on July 27, 1941, in Steep Creek, he was a son of the late Warren and Vivian (Parks) England. He had worked various jobs over the years, which included working in the freezer at the Acadia Fisheries fish plant, unloading boats, labour jobs and cutting pulp wood.

Passed On: John Abbott – Shelburne, N.S. fisherman

Abbott, 85, passed away on March 22 at the Roseway Hospital on Tuesday, March 22. Born on December 19, 1936, in Lynn, Mass., he was the son of Joseph and Inez (Goodwin) Abbott. In 1969, he acquired his cooking papers at the Nova Scotia Institute of Technology in Sydney, N.S. and started working on the seismic vessel MV Calgary Catalina out of Dartmouth. In 1971, he moved his family back to Shelburne where he spent the rest of his working life as a commercial fisherman.

Passed On: Randolph Nickerson – South Side, N.S. fisherman

Nickerson, 89, passed away on March 16. He was born on October 20, 1932, to the late Herbert and Frances (Cox) Nickerson. He resided in South Side all his life. He was a fisherman until he retired. He fished many years at Tusket Island.

Passed On: Norman Shand – Shag Harbour, N.S. fisherman

Shand, 74, passed away on March 14. He was the youngest of three children born on January 17, 1948, to Bradford and Helen (Adams) Shand. He dedicated his life as a provider, doing what he loved, fishing.

Passed On: Preston Williams – Lockeport, N.S. fisherman

Williams, 81, passed away on March 6, at the Queens General Hospital, Liverpool. He was born in Port Mouton on April 25, 1940, to the late Hastings Freeman Williams and Susan Hazel MacLeod. He was a fisherman most of his adult life and loved the sea and appreciated its sacrifices so he could provide for his family. He also played a large role in the acquisition of the gear sheds and slipway for the community fishermen while Harbour Manager in Lockeport. He took great pride in the care of the wharves during those years.

Passed On: Richard Thibeau – North Range, N.S. fisherman

Thibeau, 74, passed away on March 13 at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. Born on March 1, 1948, in North Range, he was a son of the late Lawrence and Mary (Muise) Thibeau. He was a fisherman for his entire working life.

Passed On: Charles Jeffery – Woods Harbour, N.S. fisherman

Jeffery, 91, passed away on March 7. Born on March 1, 1931, he was the son of the late James and Hattie (Nickerson) Jeffery. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family. He was a commercial fisherman until he was in his 60s. Then he worked for Dickie Malone at his lobster pound and finally as a night watchman at the pound.

Passed On: Leslie Smith – Clark’s Harbour, N.S. fisherman

Smith, 93, passed away on March 2. He was born on August 16, 1928, in The Hawk, N.S. He was the son of the late Howard and Etta (Nickerson) Smith. He was one of the original members of the Coast Guard in Clark’s Harbour and worked there for 26 years both as captain and crewmember. After retiring in 1992, he still kept busy fishing in his boat, the Comfort Hill.

Appointed: David Lewis – Chairperson of the N.L. Standing Fish Price-Setting Panel

Lewis replaced Wayne Follett who resigned on February 25. Lewis’ appointment is effective for the remainder of the current term, which ends on January 9, 2023. Lewis is a retired provincial government Deputy Minister who has worked with Newfoundland and Labrador’s fish harvesters and processors for over 40 years. He has served in many capacities with the Provincial Government, including Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Fisheries Branch as well as in other executive positions throughout government. He also worked with the Fisheries Association of Newfoundland and Labrador as Executive Assistant to the President and with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans as a biological research technician. Lewis has a Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science (Honours) and Bachelor of Education from Memorial University.

Appointed: Rick Doucet – Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) Board Member

The Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) recently announced that Rick Doucet joined its board of directors on March 28. The newest member of the board, Doucet is a former minister of aquaculture and fisheries for New Brunswick, Canada. The GSA noted his three-decades-plus leadership in both public and private sectors.

Doucet has been instrumental in helping New Brunswick grow its seafood exports from $600 million in 2006 to more than $2.2 billion today by promoting product and market diversification, business development and sustainability and attracting international investment in New Brunswick.

Doucet is currently the chief marketing officer of Marine Thinking Canada and CEO of his own company, AGW Consulting, which focuses on business growth in the seafood sector.