Newfoundland fishers donate cod to those who lost everything in summer wildfires

Billy Lee, Bernard Martin and Doug Howlett are shown speaking with Gerry Rogers before loading a container of donated cod into Rogers's vehicle, in Petty Harbour, N.L., Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Elling Lien)

PETTY HARBOUR — Two fishermen and a forklift loaded 330 pounds of cod into the back of an SUV on Tuesday, destined for people in eastern Newfoundland who lost everything in a summer of raging wildfires.

The fisher harvesters’ co-operative in Petty Harbour, N.L., purchased the frozen cod from its members to be distributed to residents of Conception Bay North on Jan. 6, which is widely celebrated as Old Christmas Day in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Bernard Martin, who sits on the board of the Petty Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative, said it was simply the right thing to do.

“A lot of the people who lost their homes, they lost everything including their freezers which, in a lot of cases, had a winter supply of fish,” Martin said, standing on a foggy wharf Tuesday in Petty Harbour, which is just outside St. John’s. “And also, it sends out a message that people need help.”

Earlier this year, wildfires burned through several communities along a 15-kilometre stretch of highway on the northwest coast of Conception Bay, in an area known as Conception Bay North.

About 200 homes were destroyed, said Gerry Rogers, a part-time resident of Conception Bay North who helped organize the donation on Tuesday. Some houses weren’t insured while others were only covered for part of the year, or for small amounts that won’t be enough to pay for the full cost of rebuilding, Rogers said.

The area was home to centuries-old fishing villages, and getting insurance on old homes is difficult and costly, she said. Even those who had insurance, or whose homes survived the flames, lost their fridges and freezers when the power was cut during weeks of evacuations, she added.

The fires have left some people with nothing, and there is no word yet on whether the provincial or federal governments will offer financial help to rebuild, Rogers said.

The Canadian Red Cross said last week that it had raised about $4.4 million as of Nov. 24 for its wildfire response in the province. The figure did not include matching fund promised by the provincial and federal governments, a spokesperson said in an email.

Rogers said even $8 million would not be enough to replace 200 homes.

“It’s almost like that uncertainty is re-traumatizing people,” Rogers said. “People are looking for answers, and they need answers. People are still struggling with their insurance companies -- those who had insurance.”

The co-operative’s donated fish will bring people together and provide at least a bit of meaningful comfort, she said.

“Fish is such a cultural necessity for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was the fish that would take them through the winter,” Rogers said. “It’s such a sign of caring in Newfoundland and Labrador to share your fish.”

Billy Lee, president of the Petty Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative, drove the forklift that guided the heavy container of cod into the back of Rogers’s vehicle. She planned to take it to a freezer in Harbour Grace, N.L., just outside the fire-affected area.

Both Rogers and Lee said they hoped others -- fish processing companies, for example -- would follow the co-op’s lead and add to the stash of frozen fish before it was handed out on Jan. 6.

“It’s what you should do, help out your neighbour,” Lee said. “It’s just something that should be done.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 30, 2025.