Aerial searches underway as ice fisherman remains missing in Annapolis County, N.S.

An RCMP vehicle is pictured on July 3, 2025. (CTV Atlantic / Callum Smith)

The search for a missing ice fisherman in Belleisle, N.S., has entered its third day.

Annapolis District RCMP and fire services received a report around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday that two men, aged 73 and 77, had failed to return from ice fishing near Little Brook Lane.

Police launched an extensive search for the missing fishermen, and one was found dead Wednesday afternoon.

The search for the second has been ongoing.

“The search for a man reported missing after ice fishing near Belleisle is continuing today with a focus on aerial searches by RCMP Air Services,” said Cindy Bayers, a spokesperson for the RCMP, in an email to CTV News on Friday.

Bayers said the RCMP’s underwater recovery team searched the river using side-scan sonar on Thursday, but the search “did not result in significant findings.”

Annapolis County Ground Search and Rescue, Digby Ground Search and Rescue, the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA), and Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources have all been involved in the search.

Police are asking residents to avoid the areas where searches are taking are place and are urging them to stay off the ice.

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