RCMP identify 4 men missing on Great Slave Lake

The RCMP have identified four fishermen missing for several days on Great Slave Lake.

Stacy Linington, 59, is from Hay River, N.W.T. Daniel Courtoreille, 51, Michael Courtoreille, 50, and Jason Fulton, 40, are all from the Lesser Slave Lake area in central Alberta. 

The fishermen were reported missing early Monday morning after they failed to return to shore when expected Sunday evening. The group had left the commercial dock in Hay River early on Sunday to travel to Sulphur Point, on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, to check fishing nets.

A woman who described herself as Linington's daughter said on social media that she is losing hope. 

"If only I knew I was living the best 30 years of my life, my dad was only a phone call away," wrote Jamie Michelle Linington in a public Facebook post on Wednesday. 

"My heart is so broken. All I can think of is him and his crew. So many questions, so many words left unspoken."

RCMP are investigating the men's boat, which was found submerged on Tuesday north of Hay River near Windy Bay, and was later identified as the vessel used by the overdue fishermen.

In an earlier post, Jamie Michelle Linington shared her beliefs that in the large lake and with the cold temperatures it was highly unlikely that the bodies of the fishers would be found.

Hay River man experienced fisher

Stacy Linington is former president of the Northwest Territories Fishermen's Federation, Jamie Linington told CBC in a Facebook message, adding that his term ended last year. 

Cameron Beaverbones, a local fisher in Hay River, said Linington is one of Great Slave Lake's best harvesters.

Beaverbones told CBC that as he went out to gather his nets on Wednesday, he thought of his friend.

"All night it was bothering me ... it kind of hit me pretty hard yesterday," he said.

We'd always look out for each other.- Cameron Beaverbones, local fisher

Beaverbones said he and Linington often fished in the Windy Bay area.

"We'd always look out for each other," he said, adding that if one of them got in trouble, there was always a boat close by. 

Beaverbones said the RCMP told fishers not to try and search for the men, because of inclement weather. 

In a press release Wednesday, RCMP said that the local police detachment, the Coast Guard auxiliary, the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) are all involved in the search.

The DFO and the Coast Guard are conducting grid searches between the south shore and Windy Bay area, the statement said. 

Investigators are also using a remotely operated underwater vehicle to examine the boat. The vehicle is fitted with sensors to collect various information. It has a lighting system and a video camera.