Tag Archives: CF/V Miss Ally
‘Playing with fire’: Fishing’s cruel seas and even crueler economics
On Feb. 12, 2013, an unseasonably warm evening, five young fishermen departed the West Head wharf on Cape Sable Island, N.S. aboard the Miss Ally, a 12-metre Cape Islander. The men, spanning in age from 21 to 33 — three of them fathers of young children—were headed out in pursuit of halibut, a valuable winter catch. On deck that night were Billy Jack Hatfield, a recently-engaged 33-year-old; Cole Nickerson, 28, a burly and strong former junior hockey player; Joel Hopkins, a 27-year-old father of two who absolutely loved the thrill of fishing; and Tyson Townsend, 25, a gifted athlete with a seven-month-old daughter. At the wheel, piloting the boat into darkness, was Katlin Nickerson, Miss Ally’s 21-year-old captain and owner. click here to read the story 13:13
Nova Scotia’s deadliest industry slowly becomes safer
It is one of the most mundane tasks on a fishing boat: tying up the bumper balloons that prevent the vessel from crunching into the wharf when it docks. But for fisherman Mitch MacDonald it proved life-altering. For 10 years he fastened them with little problem. That is until last May, when his boat pitched unexpectedly and a balloon fell overboard, the rope sawing through his left index finger. “It pretty much burnt right through my finger and took the end of my finger off overboard,” he said. MacDonald has not regained the full use of his hand. The injury cost him thousands of dollars in lost income as he had trouble holding onto things and couldn’t work the rest of the fishing season. He is not alone. In 2016 there were 224 injuries on fishing boats, according to the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, but good news is the numbers are declining. Six years ago 351 injuries were reported. Read the story here 08:37
Canadian Fishing Vessel Miss Ally crew remembered as porch lights left on in Nova Scotia
Mary Hopkins left her porch light on last night in memory of all fishers who’ve lost their lives at sea — including her son Joel and the rest of the Miss Ally crew. It’s been two years since that day, when five Nova Scotia fishermen didn’t come home after their vessel ran into trouble during a storm. They’d left from the wharf five days earlier to fish for halibut. “Of course this is the time of the year that … it comes back full force,” Hopkins said. Read the rest here 08:34
The Medal of Bravery to be awarded to the Miss Ally divers
Four local divers Donnie Mahaney, Thomas Nickersonm Gary Thurber, and Thomas Hennigar, who braved the elements to search the capsized hull of the CF/V Miss Ally will be among those receiving the Nova Scotia Medal of Bravery from Premier Stephen McNeil on Wednesday, Nov. 20. [email protected] 15:47
