The following statement was issued today by the Honourable Derrick Bragg, Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture and the Honourable John Hogan, Minister of Justice and Public Safety:
Our thoughts today are with the families and friends of Marc Russell of Mary’s Harbour and Joey Jenkins of St. Lewis, two Labrador fishermen who are missing at sea. The sea can be very unforgiving at times, and incidents such as this are stark reminders of the dangers that thousands of women and men engaged in our fishing industry face each and every day.
We want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to those who have been working around the clock since Friday to assist in the search efforts, and for the love, support and encouragement to their families. As a province we are doing everything we can to support the families and the search for Mr. Russell and Mr. Jenkins.
Since Saturday morning, the Emergency Services Division (ESD) of the Department of Justice and Public Safety has been engaged with Canadian Coast Guard officials, the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC), the Marine Rescue Sub-Centre, and others involved in the search. The ESD offered provincial government assistance in the form or both rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft if/when required.
Multiple air and marine assets were tasked to this search throughout the weekend. It is our understanding that at different times there was a combined six air assets involved. These included: military assets (a Cormorant, an Aurora, a Griffon, and two Hercules) and a Provincial Airlines aircraft. Additionally, there were three Canadian Coast Guard ships, a factory freezer fishing vessel, and civilian boats involved.
On Sunday evening, the ESD was notified by the RCMP that it would be taking over the search. The ESD engaged with the RCMP, Government Air Services and the volunteer group of Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) and proposed a Government of Newfoundland and Labrador water bomber be utilized to assist in the search. This aircraft and its crew were deployed from Deer Lake this morning.
The search, which is still ongoing, is now being led by the RCMP.
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Media contacts
Kathy Dicks-Peyton
Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
709-729-3733, 699-1982
kathydickspeyton@gov.nl.ca
Danielle Barron
Justice and Public Safety
709-729-5188, 691-2944
daniellebarron@gov.nl.ca