GREETINGS, UFAWU CONVENTION DELEGATES
j\l BSGIAP TO GET OUT FISHING AfAlht R/GCtN'OP IS WHAT TAKfS ITOUToFAGUV
—Reprinted by request from an
anonymous fisherman's wife.
Vol. XXIX, No. 9
10 CENTS
VANCOUVER, B.C., MARCH 18, 1966
Laing Refuses to Help Keep Masset Running
Gets Invitation to Convention To Explain Reversal of Stand
Indian and northern affairs minister Arthur Laing has been invited to attend the United Fishermen and Allied Workers' twenty-second annual convention to explain why he is backing down on his promise that the government would do everything in its power to ensure continued operation of Queen Charlotte Canners' Masset cannery.
The promise was given to mem-' bers of the Union's delegation who interviewed him at Ottawa last month.
This week the Union received a letter from Laing expressing surprise at the interpretation given his remarks by Union secretary Homer Stevens in a CBC interview.
Recounting the discussion he and George Hewison, the Union's
Union Brief Disputes Society's Limit Plan
Describing a proposal by the Amalgamated Conservation Society to ban salmon net fishing in a three mile belt off the whole southern section of Vancouver Island as "unnecessary and unfair," the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union in a presentation to the legislature's special committee on fisheries March 16 called for "unity of all commercial fishermen plus cooperation with bonafide sport fishermen as the answer to the general decline in salmon stocks . . ."
The Union took issue with several assertions in the Amalgamated Society's brief and also disagreed with sectional demands placed before the committee last week by the Fishing Vessel Owners Association.
It repeated its basic answer to the problem of declining salmon runs: "a greater federal budget, a provincial minister of fisheries, a provincial department with adequate budgets, better offshore fishing treaties, and a real pro-
Two Vessels To Bering Sea
Two Vancouver based halibut vessels have cleared with the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union for the March 25 Bering Sea opening.
They are the Chief Skugaid under captain William (Red) Anderson, Union delegate James Pon-gracz, and the Dominator, captain William Logan and delegate Leo O'Mara.
Two others are planning to leave shortly for the Bering Sea Triangle — the Misty Moon, captain Elmer Norman, delegate George Grant, and the Western Monarch, captain John Lind, delegate Arnold Elgert.
A fifth longline vessel, the Neekis, has cleared for a black cod trip. Skipper is Ingebrigt Lau-ten and delegate T. Berg.
Areas 3C, AC, 4D, and 4E all open March 25 while Area 4A opens April 6. A chart showing these areas and opening and closing times is carried on page 12.
gram of cooperation and action by both governments."
Pointing out that the Society includes the Victoria Local of the Pacific Trollers Association, the Union accused it of "going overboard in its hostility toward fellow fishermen." WOULD OPPOSE REVERSE
Noting that the UFAWU has a wide membership among trollers, two of whom are members of its general executive board, the Union said it would oppose the ban "just as vigorously if it were the other way around" but said it would "hesitate before retaliation in kind."
The proposed ban, it declared, was "unfair because it discriminates against seiners and gillnet-ters, while allowing commercial trollers to continue as before."
The proposal would deprive net fishermen of valuable areas and was neither necessary nor practical, the Union stated. "It would hurt the net fishermen without real compensation to sport fishermen. In reverse, it would hurt the sport without benefit to commercial fishermen."
The Society had produced no supporting evidence to show that salmon net fishing has caused a decline in sport fish catches of grilse, "if such a decline has occurred," the Union said.
Commercial fishermen, and this the Union supports, are prohibited by law to harvest young or baby salmon but such immature salmon comprise a large portion of the sport catch.
See UNION BRIEF—Page 16
northern organiser, had with Laing when they and other delegates met with him at Ottawa, Stevens said in the CBC interview that Laing was asked, "If the government as a result of an inquiry finds that the Masset cannery can't operate without assistance, will the government use everything within its power to see that the cannery does operate even if it does require financial assistance?" Laing's reply was "Yes, you can tell them (the people of Masset) that."
See LAING—Page 16
W. R. HOURSTON
Pacific area director of fisheries will address UFAWU convention Wednesday, March 23, at 2 p.m in the Fishermen's Hall.
Halford Wilson Opens UFAWU Convention
Veteran alderman Halford Wilson will open the twenty-second annual convention of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 19 in Fishermen's Hall, 138 East Cordova Street.
The convention will bring together delegates from as far north as Kineolith on the Nass River, the Queen Charlotte Islands, Prince Rupert, and Skeena River points.
Some 120 representatives of the Union's 33 locals are expected to attend the week long meeting. The Women's Auxiliaries to the Union will hold their annual one day gathering on Sunday, March 20, while the Union convention breaks off into committee ses-
BAN ON PITLAMPING
Herring Fleet Proposes Conservation Measures
Amendment of fishery regulations to prohibit the catching of immature herring "as far as it is practical" is high on the list of proposals the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union will place before the BC Herring Management Committee at its next meeting.
Date for the meeting has not yet been announced, but Pacific area fisheries director W. R. Hour-ston, replying to Union secretary Homer Stevens' request that the Committee be called to review herring conservation measures, has assured the Union the meeting will be held at the close of the herring season.
Fishing ended March 10 in all areas except the west coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands, where a two week extension ends March 24.
Herring fishermen, at an emergency meeting held in Fisher-
men's Hall on Wednesday this week, drew up a list of proposals designed to halt the serious decline in herring stocks.
The decline is reflected in generally poor fishing since the Christmas layup, and has been most marked throughout the season in the lower east coast district, where the total catch of 18,027 tons for the 1965-66 season is less than half the 37,849 tons recorded for the 1964-65 season. SEIZE FISH
Recommending amendment of regulations to forbid taking of immature herring, the meeting qualified it with the words "as far as it practical" in consideration of the difficulties involved.
"A skipper might set on a school of large fish and find when they were brailed aboard that 20 or 30 percent of them were small immature fish," general organiser Wally Paulik explained this week.
"This is the kind of difficulty the proposed regulation would have to take into account."
See HERRING — Page 12
High on the convention agenda will be new steps to force federal government action to keep the Masset cannery operating to provide employment for over 100 Native workers on the Queen Charlotte Islands.
Also slated for early discussion is a special resolution calling for an end to the Vietnam war and positive steps by the Canadian government to achieve this objective.
One of the early speakers at the convention will be John Beeching, chairman of the BC Peace Council, who is slated to address delegates at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 19.
R. G. McMynn, commercial fisheries director in the department of recreation and conservation, will speak at 2 p.m. on the afternoon of opening day.
Other speakers will include Frank Calder, MLA for Atlin, at 10 a.m., Monday, March 21; Dr. Murray Newman, Vancouver Aquarium curator, at 2 p.m. Monday, March 21; Howard Paish, secretary manager, BC Wildlife Federation at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 22; Leo Holthe, 'manager of Gulf and Fraser Fishermen's Credit Union at 3:30 p.m., the same day; W. R. Hourston, Pacific area director for the federal fisheries department at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 23.
Other speakers have been invited.
HALIBUT FLEET MEETING
in conjunction with
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 at 1 p.m.
FISHERMEN'S HALL
138 East Cordova Street
• Board of Trustees report on Fund and Medical Plan
• Report on Layup Conference
• Report of Continuations Committee on Vessel Owners' reopening of agreement.
NOTE: This meeting is subject to a $10 non-attendance fine by decision of the meeting held December 29, 1965