Shift in winds could bring relief to ice-locked sealers

The Canadian Coast Guard is hoping winds will shift Friday and ease pressure off scores of longliners trapped in massive sheets of ice off Newfoundland's northeastern coast.

The northeasterly winds that have pushed tonnes of ice ashore this week are forecast to hold through most of Friday, likely adding pressure to vessels already at risk of sustaining damages.

The forecast, though, calls for winds to shift late in the day, possibly bringing aid to about 100 sealing vessels that have scarcely been able to move for days.

Capt. Brian Penney of the coast guard command centre in St. John's said better wind conditions will be needed for days if they are to make a genuine difference.

As many as 15 vessels have been abandoned so far, Penney said Friday.

Penney said coast guard helicopters are airlifting non-essential crew members from longliners, if they have requested it.

On Thursday night, search and rescue officials dispatched a helicopter to check on a vessel stuck near an island off the Baie Verte Peninsula when it failed to respond to a radio call. The crew was fine.

The vessels have been stuck following the seal hunt off the northeast coast. Most of the seals were caught during a one-day period on April 13.

With fuel, water and food supplies dwindling, crews have been particularly frustrated because many were unable to reach seal herds in the first place.

Sealers who were lucky enough to return home described the last week as a mess that could have been prevented, had the Department of Fisheries and Oceans not delayed the opening of the hunt.

"If it opened on the date it was supposed to open, there wouldn't be no longliners caught out there because everybody would've been in before this storm came on," said Otis Bath, whose longliner made it back to harbour in St. John's.

Bath said it didn't help that DFO halted the hunt after a day to determine whether the quota had been filled, and then briefly opened it again.

"Every year, DFO plays cat and mouse with the fishermen's seal hunting, and that leaves sometimes the boats in the situation that they're in now," he said.

DFO bases opening and closing decisions on information gleaned from the coast guard. Penney said the decisions are carefully considered, after consultation with industry.

DFO made the call to give hunters a fair start, citing changing weather conditions.

Roger Bath, skipper of the vessel R.O. Venture, said the delay was unfortunate, because many seals moved away from the area.

"Seals don't stay in one place, and if you're lucky enough to get out there and see lots of seals on the opening date, you should be able to try and make up your trip," he said.