Seafood industry leader who oversaw Halifax's Fisherman's Market has died
Fred Greene, known as an 'honourable guy,' ran company for decades
A long-time leader in the Nova Scotia seafood industry has died at the age of 82.
Fred Greene ran Fisherman's Market International for decades, overseeing its transformation from a local retail outlet on the Halifax waterfront to a leading wholesaler and exporter with 150 employees.
The seafood store remains a local institution, although it moved from its downtown home next to the ferry terminal in Halifax to the Bedford Highway in the 1990s.
As a lobster buyer, Greene was a well-known figure from Canso to St. Margarets Bay and other fishing ports throughout Nova Scotia.
"His reputation in the industry was one of being an honourable guy," recalls John Risley, a co-founder of Clearwater Seafoods. "A lot of transactions happen in this business took place on the basis of a handshake and your word, and Fred was always good on his word."
According to his obituary, Greene joined his uncle at Fisherman's Market in 1960. The operation was primarily an Atlantic Canada-focused business in the 60s, 70s and 80s. It later expanded into an international operation shipping seafood globally.
'Sorry to lose him'
It holds groundfish licences, and operates buying stations and lobster pounds across Nova Scotia.
One year ago Greene sold his interest in the company to another family business, Mersey Seafoods of Liverpool, N.S.
Greg Simpson of Mersey Seafoods called Greene a "universally respected giant in the seafood industry."
"He was an innovator and trailblazer with a very curious soul with the rare skill to master the big picture and the details," Simpson told CBC.
In the transaction, Greene's minority business partner Monte Snow reduced his stake in the company to 25 percent and stayed on as president.
Risley said Greene's passing marks an end of an era.
"It's a shame to see a chapter of the industry disappear, if you like, over the horizon. He was always willing to share what he knew about what was going on in return for what you knew. Just a charming, lovely guy. Sorry to lose him."
In April 2021 Greene was presented with the Nova Scotia Seafood Legacy Award, which "commemorates an individual that has gone above and beyond to strengthen the seafood industry in a way that will have lasting impacts."
According to his obituary he died after a brief illness.