Fishing has long been documented as being the most dangerous occupation in the world. That is especially true in the harsh, and often bitter, marine environment of Atlantic Canada. These perilous conditions have caused the sinking and loss of hundreds of Atlantic Canadian fishing vessels, claiming enormous loss of life. Former host of CBC Radio’s “Fisheries Broadcast” and now managing editor of The Navigator, Jim Wellman recounts some of those gripping tales as part of his regular monthly feature in The Navigator. Dubbed “Final Voyages,” the feature has been one of the most popular sections of the magazine since its first issue in December 1997. The best ones have been gathered together to make up this first volume of sea stories.

Jim Wellman grew up in Port Anson, a small fishing and logging community on Newfoundland’s northeast coast. The son of a schooner captain, Jim never strayed far from his marine roots despite choosing a career in journalism. For fifteen years, Jim was host of the popular radio program the Fisheries Broadcast on CBC Radio in Newfoundland. After taking an early retirement from the radio business in 1997, Jim turned off the microphone and picked up a pen. He has written ten books with marine connections. Jim has been contracted by several agencies and corporations such as Marine Atlantic, the Canadian Sealers Association, and Heritage Canada to draw from his marine knowledge, particularly in the fishing industry. Jim became managing editor of the Navigator, Atlantic Canada’s premier fisheries and marine magazine in Nov. 2002, he continues to write the very popular column Final Voyages today, as he has since their first issue.

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