The parents of a young man who was lost on a fishing trip off the coast of Labrador were in Ottawa this week to make their case for improved search and rescue in the region.
Dwight and Jeannette Russell are the parents of Marc Russell, who, along with his crewmate Joey Jenkins, was lost when their boat, the Island Lady, went down on a fishing trip off the southeast coast of Labrador in September of 2021.
The couple have become outspoken safety advocates and they joined a delegation of government and regional leaders who met with federal government ministers in Ottawa this week to impress on the need for improved federal resources in the area.
(Marc Russell and Joey Jenkins on the Island Lady.)
Jeannette Russell says they’re also asking for a federal inquiry into fishing safety, something she calls “imperative.”
“Right now so many different federal agencies are responsible for regulating various aspects of the fishing industry, it’s hard to know where one agency’s jursidiction ends and the other begins,” she says.
They also wish to see 5 Wing Goose Bay upgraded from a secondary to a primary search and rescue unit.
She says that problem came to light during the Burton Winters’ tragedy on the ice off Makkovik. When the child went missing 11 years ago, all aircraft at the base were undergoing maintenance and were unable to respond.
