Obituary of Peter Joseph Cronin

The family of Peter Joseph Cronin, (age 71) of Douglas, NB sadly announces his death on Thursday, July 20, 2023 at Fredericton Hospice House.  Peter was born in Bath, NB on June 14, 1952 to Frank and Monica Cronin (Ryan) and moved to Perth-Andover at the age of 8.  He is survived by his loving and caring wife Anne Cyr who tirelessly cared for him over the years. Anne was also his best partner in fishing for Atlantic salmon.  He is also survived by his two sons, Chris (Sheona) of Ottawa and Andrew (Anitra) of Edmonton; his sister, Connie Conrod (Burton) of Cape Breton; and brother, Noel (Shelley) of Calgary.  He is also survived by three grandchildren, Amy, Ewan and Ailish. Peter always felt welcomed by the Cronin, Ryan, Inman and Cyr families who always made him feel at home.  He was especially proud of how Chris and Andrew developed as adults, much to the credit of their mother.  

Peter was predeceased by his parents and his late wife Ann (Inman).  

Peter received a BSC from St. Francis Xavier University and a MSC from the University of New Brunswick.  After graduation he worked for the Province of New Brunswick for nearly 38 years, most of it as a Fisheries Biologist.  In his early career, he especially enjoyed working on the rivers, lakes and streams of the province managing the resident fish species and their habitats including developing and enhancing the coldwater and warmwater recreational fisheries that they supported. After 20 years in the field, he became manager of the Fisheries Program for the Province where he enjoyed working with the fisheries staff and his counterparts in the other Provinces and Territories in Canada as well as the United States.  Towards the end of his career, he made significant contributions to the future of Atlantic salmon in the North Atlantic which required travel to and collaboration with numerous countries in Europe, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. 

Among the achievements that he was most proud of was having the Federal government finally recognize the constitutional and important roles of New Brunswick in managing the inland fisheries of the province.  He also increased the role and participation of the anglers and users in managing those important fisheries.  

He was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Wild Atlantic Salmon Conservation.  Peter was a past president of the Atlantic International Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, a professional fisheries association covering Quebec, NB, NS, PEI, and NL as well as three New England States, Maine New Hampshire and Vermont.  He also volunteered for many years on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Federation and was a Past President of the New Brunswick Salmon Council.  He served on supervisory committees for several MSc and PhD candidates.  

Peter loved spending time on the Tobique River at their camp that was in his family since 1968. He loved to fish, hunt, canoe and kayak. He was a SCUBA diving instructor, including ice diving specialty courses.  When his sons were younger, he attended and assisted in several capacities with their baseball and hockey teams. 

Visitation will take place from Holy Family Parish, 1500 Hanwell Road, Fredericton, NB on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 from 1-2 pm; followed by a Funeral Mass at 2 pm with Father Bill Brennan as celebrant.  A Private Family Interment will take place in St. Anthony’s Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Fredericton Hospice House (Palliative Care Resource Network Inc.).  Personal condolences may be offered through www.yorkfh.com