Note (ZL): In the Introduction to his book, the author writes “Countless islands dot our earth, but only a few are famous. Touched by history and fate, they figure largely in the lives of humans or are the vital refuge of unique animals.” Many would agree that Sable Island is both. Fred Bruemmer first visited the island in 1967, and returned several times until the mid 1970s, usually in the company of researchers with the Fisheries Research Board of Canada (now Fisheries and Oceans Canada) who were on the island to study the harbour seals in summer and the grey seals in winter. Sable is one of the twenty-five islands—all small and particularly special—described in Bruemmer’s book.
Fred Bruemmer, a well-known Canadian nature photographer and researcher, passed away in December 2013. Fred authored 25 books and >1000 articles, including several about Sable Island. Among his many honours: Member of the Order of Canada (1983), Royal Canadian Institute Sanford Fleming medal (1989), Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee medal (1993), and North American Nature Photography Association Lifetime Award (2003).
In a September 2007 letter to Zoe Lucas on Sable Island, Fred wrote “say hallo to the horses and the seals and any humans who still may know me”. Many Sable Islanders remember Fred Bruemmer, and miss him. He was the first of the nature photographers to visit Sable. He not only captured images of the island, he observed and understood the island.
