Family of missing sealer upset to learn from TV search had ended

The family of a missing Quebec sealer presumed dead is upset they weren't informed the search for him had been called off.

"At least if they called the family to tell them that the search was over," said Damien Déraspe, the brother-in-law and fellow crew member of Carl Aucoin, 31.

"But nobody called. They heard the search was over on TV. That's something at least they should have done — just called the family to [say] 'We're sorry; we cannot search."

Aucoin, a father of two, and Déraspe were part of the six-man crew of a disabled fishing vessel that overturned off Cape Breton this weekend while being towed by a coast guard icebreaker. Three sealers were killed, and Aucoin is presumed dead in the icy waters. 

The Acadien II reported a steering malfunction while navigating in thick ice late Friday, 70 kilometres north of Cape Breton. The coast guard vessel Sir William Alexander was called to tow the boat to Sydney, N.S.

A number of investigations have been launched into the accident.

Many residents of Îles de la Madeleine in Quebec, where the sealers were from, are upset the search for Aucoin was called off only 12 hours after the incident, said CBC's Nancy Wood. The islands' mayor and Aucoin's mother have asked for the search to resume.

"You lose someone, a loved one, you want to make sure they rest in peace," said Mayor Joel Arseneau.

Not having Aucoin's body makes it difficult for his son to have closure, Déraspe said.

"When you don't have a body, it's worse. You always think he's gonna come back, but you know it's impossible," he said.

Déraspe said he had seen Aucoin a few hours before he left, gave him buckets for seal meat and told him to be careful.

Aucoin's mother recalled that her son had talked about how cold his feet got last year during the hunt, Déraspe said.

"So he said 'Mom, this year I'll get some good wool socks; I won't freeze this year.'

"And he's freezing somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean right now, dead, so it's worse when you think about that," Déraspe said.