Funeral today for passionate whale rescuer Joe Howlett

The funeral for Joe Howlett, who was killed this week by a right whale he'd just rescued, will be held onCampobelloIsland today at 2 p.m.

Howlett, 59, the co-founder of the Campobello Whale Rescue Team, died Monday after freeing a whale from snow crab lines near Shippagan.

On the small island of 850 off the southwest cornerof New Brunswick, Howlett was well-known. His friends and colleagues have described him as a lively character, brave and hardworking.

"Everybody knew Joe Howlett and everybody respected Joe Howlett," said Stephen Smart, the mayor of Campobello.

The Nova Scotia-born Howlettmoved to Campobello when he got married. He was a commercial fisherman but dedicated years of his life to the rescue ofwhales that got tangled up in fishing rope.

On the morning of July 10, hewas aboard a Department of Fisheries and Oceans zodiac with three others when the fatal accident occurred in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The details of how he died are unclear, and separate investigations are underway by Transport Canada and the Fisheries Department.

"He was a hero," said Jerry Conway, a member oftheCampobelloWhale Rescue Team and a friend of Howlett's for 18 years.

"He knew he was putting his life on the line for a70-tonnewhalethat was upset trying to deal with a wild animal."

Joe Howlett freeing a right whale in the Bay of Fundy in 2016

7 years ago

Duration 0:51

This video shows Joe Howlett in action as part of the Campobello Whale Rescue Team. Howlett died rescuing a whale tangled in fishing gear Monday.

"He was a hero," said Conway. "He knew he was putting his life on the line for a 70-tonne that was upset trying to deal with a wild animal."

In an interview with CBC Mainstreet, Howletttalked about his rescue work and said he didn't find itscary.

"I'm a fisherman and I've been fishing for half of my life, and I know what it's all about with ropes and things like that," he said.

For Howlett, Monday would have been just another day at work.

"Somehow fishermen try to make a living and they do what they do, and they have to, and whales seem to get caught every once in awhile," Howlett said in 2013.

"And when it does, we are there to help out."