Beloved fisherman who dedicated his life to saving whales is killed by one after he rescued it from tangled ropes
- Joe Howlett, 59, killed by whale in waters off New Brunswick, Canada on Monday
- Lobster fisherman devoted his life to saving whales, rescuing over two dozen
- Used his expert knowledge of ropes and knots to free whales tangled in lines
- Was killed in latest rescue when whale made unexpected movement after free
A lobster fisherman who devoted his life to saving whales has been killed by one as he rescued it from tangled ropes.
Joe Howlett, 59, was killed Monday in the waters of his New Brunswick, Canada home of Campobello Island, as he used his expertise to assist authorities in the rescue of a North Atlantic right whale.
Howlett had successfully rescued over two dozen whales caught in lines over the past 15 years, his friends said.
'He is a very knowledgeable fishermen, and who better to do disentanglements than a fisherman who knows the knots and the ropes and the gear?' Jerry Conway of the Canadian Whale Institute told the Canadian Press.
Joe Howlett, 59, was killed Monday in the waters of his New Brunswick, Canada home of Campobello Island, as he used his expertise to assist authorities in a whale rescue
A North Atlantic right whale, the species that killed Howlett, is seen in this file photo. The whales can reach a length of over 50 feet and weight of more than 70 tons
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'He's going to be sorely missed by the community and he was an integral part of a very unique group of fishermen here on the island who were involved in doing the disentanglements,' Conway said.
Howlett was on a Department of Fisheries and Oceans fast response vessel at the time of his death, and the whale rescue operation was assisted by the Canadian Coast Guard, the DFO said in a statement.
The fisherman played a critical role in the rescue of another whale as recently as July 5, the statement said.
'He was a hero, he knew he was putting his life on the line with a 70-ton whale that is upset … trying to deal with a wild animal,' Conway told the CBC.
Howlett had successfully rescued over two dozen whales caught in lines over the past 15 years, his friends said
Howlett (right) is seen with his son in this Facebook photo. 'He was a hero, he knew he was putting his life on the line with a 70-ton whale that is upset,' a friend said
Whale rescue attempts typically involve the use of poles with cutting implements to free the whale from tangled lines, and rescuers do not get in the water during the operations.
It's unclear exactly what led to Howlett's death, but the massive whale apparently made a sudden movement during the rescue.
'They got the whale totally disentangled and then some kind of freak thing happened and the whale made a big flip,' Mackie Green, who co-founded the Campobello Whale Rescue Team with Howlett in 2002, told the Canadian Press.
'Joe was the life of the party. He was always upbeat, laughing, telling jokes so the whole island’s at a desperate loss,' Green said.
'He was a great fella and he really cared about the whales.'
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