The search is continuing this morning for a missing fisherman off the coast of Fleur de Lys.
The boat sank Tuesday evening. One person has been rescued, while the bodies of two others have been recovered from the water. A fourth man is still missing. Search efforts have been continuing to find that man with efforts being expanded to include surrounding shorelines.
Mark Gould, Deputy Superintendent for Maritime SAR, says the survivability window for the man is quickly closing.
He says there’s a reason why they search beyond the survivability window, and they will do that in this case, but the chances of a positive outcome are “rapidly declining.”
(Photo via Our Town of Fleur De Lys Facebook)
The people of Fleur de Lys and nearby Coachman’s Cove are trying to process the latest tragedy to befall the fishing industry.
The Fleur de Lys town hall was opened to residents yesterday to allow people a place to gather, talk, support each other, and mourn the loss of two, and possibly three, fishermen.
The men, who were engaged in the cod fishery at the time, were lost when the 23-foot open boat they were in was swamped, and went down about a mile outside Fleur de Lys harbour Tuesday afternoon.
The unfolding tragedy was at the forefront of the thoughts of those attending Sentate hearings on the seal population and its impact on fish stocks in St. John’s yesterday.
A shaken Greg Pretty of the FFAW says fishing is the most dangerous profession in the world.
He says a safety association is in place to try to prevent tragedies from happening, but more work is needed.
