Peter Fischer

BRISTOL – If the value of a man’s life is measured by the number of friends he has made and people who loved him, then Peter Fischer truly lived a life of great worth. Peter, of Bristol, passed away on Sept. 16, 2023, at the Sussman Hospice House in Rockport, following a 21-month battle with Pancreatic Cancer.

Peter was born in Philadelphia, Pa. on March 11, 1952, the second child of Ramsay Fischer and Elisabeth Meulenkamp. At the age of 20, he followed a group of friends to South Bristol, where he began to make a living off the ocean and a life nearby.

In 1973, he met Carol Jackson in Damariscotta. Their first dates were cross-country skiing. They relocated to South Portland in 1976, where Peter finished first in his class studying Marine Science at Southern Maine Vocational Institute. Peter and Carol married in 1979 in the Spurwink Congregational Church in Cape Elizabeth.

Peter’s career encompassed many aspects of the marine industry from offshore fishing with Hubba Bradford out of Portland; processing fish at Cozy Harbor Seafood; managing the South Bristol Co-op; and conducting research at The Research Institute of the Gulf of Maine (TRIGOM). While working for the Department of Marine Resources, Peter inspected seafood processing facilities. Later he worked for two of the largest Maine seafood companies, William Atwood Lobster Co., and Great Eastern Mussel. After leaving GEM, he started his own mussel aquaculture operation, Damariscove Seafood, at Clark’s Cove in Walpole. Over the years, Damariscove Seafood morphed into Pemaquid Mussel, which, under the leadership of Peter and Carter Newell, became one of the most renowned Mussel companies in Maine. Because he didn’t have enough to do, Peter and Seth Barker launched Maine Fresh Sea Farms, a seaweed aquaculture operation, also in Clark’s Cove.

His loved ones wish to thank the medical staff at New England Cancer Specialists, Topsham – especially Dr. Brian Haney; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; the Beacon Hospice workers, especially Katie; and the caregivers at the Sussman Hospice House. And most of all, endless gratitude to Dr. Minda Gold of Damariscotta, who’s loving care went above and beyond anything we could have imagined.

A Celebration to honor Peter’s life will be held at the 1812 Farm in Bristol, on Oct. 9, from 1 to 4 p.m.

For Peter’s Tribute page and for FMI, visit Directcremationofmaine.com

In lieu of flowers,

donations can be made

in Peter’s name to:

Pancreatic Cancer

Action Network:

http://www.pancan.org

Or to the

American Cancer Society.