ST. JOHN’S — The premier of Newfoundland and Labrador says the province is grieving the deaths of two fishermen found Tuesday after a boat sank off Newfoundland’s northern coast. In a press release Wednesday, Tony Wakeham said tragedies at sea are felt across the province, where many communities are so closely tied to the fishing industry. A spokesperson for the federal Department of National Defence says the Canadian Coast Guard got a call about a sunken vessel and three missing people on Tuesday afternoon. In an email, Craig Macartney says the vessel went down near Brent’s Cove, N.L., a community of about 130 people on the northeast tip of Newfoundland’s Baie Verte peninsula. A search began and a local vessel found two people in the water, one of whom had died. Macartney says a Cormorant helicopter found another person dead on the shoreline. Lin Paddock, member of the legislature for the Baie Verte region, said on Facebook Wednesday that the deaths are sad reminder of how dangerous their industry can be. “It opens fresh wounds for those of us that have experienced loss at sea,” Paddock’s post said. “Thinking of all the families now as they deal with the repercussions of a regular fishing day, where one of their own did not come home.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2026. The Canadian Press
