Twine Loft – April 2018

Passed On: Roger Stoddard – Sydney, N.S. Fisherman

Stoddard, 64, tragically passed away on February 9. On February 6, the Fisherman’s Provider II ran aground just off the coast of Canso. Roger made the decision to stay aboard the ship when his crew departed and he was reported missing shortly after.

Roger spent his entire life working and fishing on the sea and he was truly happiest out on the water. The sea was in his blood.

Passed On: Bernard Smith – Yarmouth, N.S. Fisherman

Smith, 95, passed away on February 9. Born April 25, 1922 in Chebogue, Yarmouth Co., he was a son to the late Robert Ernest Smith and Tillie Maria (Swaine) Smith. He was a veteran of WWII serving with the 3rd Division R.C.A.S.C. He was also a D Day veteran and member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 143 and then Wedgeport Legion Branch 155. He was a fisherman for his working career and was known to be a hard worker.

Passed On: Sherwood Nickerson – Yarmouth, N.S. Fisherman

Nickerson, 62, passed away on February 24 at Yarmouth Regional Hospital. Born in Yarmouth on December 9, 1955, he was a son of the late Frank and Harriette “Alma” Nickerson. Sherwood was a fisherman for most of his life. He enjoyed the outdoors and loved to hunt and fish in his earlier years. He spent lots of time in Deep Cove, Tusket Islands growing up there as well as spending lots of his adult years there with his family.

Passed On: Reginald Goodwin – Birchtown, N.S. Fisherman

Goodwin, 80, passed away peacefully in Roseway Hospital on February 27, 2018. Born in Sandy Point he was a son of the late Arnold and Margaret (Hemeon) (Goodwin) Williams. He was a fisherman all his working life.

Passed On: Frank Richard – Half Island Cove, N.S. Fish Plant Worker

Richard, 96, passed away quietly on February 18 in Eastern Memorial Hospital, Canso. Born on Fox Island on January 26, 1922, he was a son of the late Catherine Jane (Bouchie) and John Thomas Richard. He worked in both Nova Scotia and Ontario, beginning at a very young age at the Canso Fish Plant with Roy Jamieson and retiring from National Sea Products.

Passed On: Margaret Martin – Half Island Cove, N.S. Fish Plant Worker

Martin, 73, passed away peacefully on February 24, in the Eastern Memorial Hospital, Canso. Born in Manassette Lake, Guysborough Co., she was a daughter of the late William Frederick and Louisa (Ross) Greencorn. Margaret was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Queensport. She had a long-time career in the fishing industry, working at numerous fish plants in the area.

Passed On: Joseph Poirier – Cheticamp, N.S. Fish Plant Worker

Poirier, 63, passed away suddenly on February 16 in Cheticamp. Born in Cheticamp, he was the son of the late Alexander “Sandy” and Rose (Bourgeois) Poirier. He worked at the Cheticamp fish plant for many years.

Passed On: Frederick Horton – Truro, N.S. Fisherman

Horton, 88, formerly of Port Bickerton, Guysborough County, passed away January 29 at the Mira Care Facility, Truro.

Born in Port Bickerton, he was a son of the late Garfield and Amanda (Kaiser) Horton. He worked as a fish cutter at Bickerton Co-op, drove a service truck for the Department of Highways, then fished with the crew of the Calm Sea, until his retirement.

Elected: MFU Local 9 Executive

On February 6, the MFU Local 9 held its 35th annual general meeting in Clare, N.S. Joel Comeau was voted in as President, while Colin Comeau was elected as the new Vice President. Roger LeBlanc remains as the Secretary Treasurer.

Stepping Down: David Cousens – President of Maine Lobstermen’s Association

Cousens, a South Thomaston lobsterman, who has led the Maine Lobstermen’s Association for 27 years, is stepping down as president of the organization. He was to officially step down when the association held its annual meeting March 2 in conjunction with the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockland.

The organization’s board will choose a replacement for Cousens. The lobstermen’s association is a powerful group in the state and Cousens is the fourth president since its founding in 1954. He helped oversee the process that led to Maine conservation efforts, such as the v-notch to make sure egg-bearing female lobsters are returned to the sea and establishing size limits for legal catches. Both initiatives have become regulations for the industry up and down the Atlantic Coast.