Sealers had to abandon the Dodd & Sons off Newfoundland's northeast coast yesterday. Coast guard icebreakers were attempting to free about 100 immobilized vessels.
Photograph by : Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Press
The Ottawa Citizen; with files from St. John's Telegram
Published: Thursday, April 19, 2007
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - More than 100 fishing and sealing vessels are stuck in ice off the coast of Newfoundland, forcing some crews to abandon ship, Fisheries Department and coast guard officials said yesterday.
Six coast guard ships and three helicopters are involved in 10 search and rescue operations in the region, with the priority given to an area around Fogo Island in the north. Conditions are so bad, one of the coast guard vessels got stuck.
"Ranging from the Strait of Belle Isle to Cape Bona Vista, there's around 100 vessels stuck in ice," said Brian Penney, superintendent of coast guard operations, adding ice conditions continue to change.
