February 12, 1957
THE FISHERMAN
Page 5
HARD-TIME SMOKER and DANCE
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Seiners Take Cut
Fleet Income Last Year Nearly Reaches '51 Level
British Columbia's fish landings in 1956 had a total value of nearly #36,000,000, third highest on record and approximately #4,000,000 higher than the average for the past five years.
Halibut Parley Hits Heavy Illegal Landings
The coastwise conference of halibut fishermen's organisations which met in Vancouver February 1 and 2 viewed, "with alarm the amount of illegally landed halibut" and directed the attention of the International Halibut Commission to this problem,
In addition, the parley request
Fisheries catch statistics for 1956 prepared by chief economist Blake A. Campbell of the federal fisheries and released this month by chief supervisor A. J. Whitmore, reveal that fishermen's earnings last year climbed to the highest point since 1951.
A record herring catch and higher unit prices for salmon, halibut and other species were cited as main factors in the increase.
While the total salmon catch was only 117,000,000 pounds, lowest since 1944, better unit landed values increased returns to $21,-356,000, nearly $3,000,000 more than in 1955.
Trollers, particularly those operating off the west coast had a good year, producing 23,000,000 pounds of salmon for which they got $5,800,000, highest on record.
Salmon gillnet landings were also equal to those of 1955, totalling 52,500,000 pounds valued at $10,400,000, more than $3,000,000 higher than the year before.
Salmon seiners showed a
marked drop, with landings declining from 58,000,000 pounds
in 1955 to 41,500,000 pounds
valued at $5,100,000 last year.
Salmon fishing highlights of the year as revealed in the report showed that catches from the Naas totalled nearly 11,000,-
000 pounds or more than double the 1955 total. Rivers and Smiths Inlets were the top sockeye producing areas with more than 1,-500,000 sockeye caught there, representing nearly half the provincial sockeye catch.
Pink catches in most of the northern areas of B.C. were also better than expected when compared with the 1954 cycle year.
Another important fishery in 1956 was that carried on by gill-netters and seiners in the Strait of Juan de Fuca during late summer. Gillnetters reported a total of 206,000 cohoe and 85,000
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sockeye, while seiners caught 216,000 sockeye and 83,000 cohoe in the same area.
The chum salmon fishery was far below expectations, only 27,-300,000 pounds being landed but even this low catch was above that of 1955.
Despite a six week tie-up in the early fall herring fishery, catch during the calendar year of 1956 totalled 245,697 tons valued at well over $7,000,000 and both quantity and value were the highest in the history of herring fishing.
The waters off the Queen Charlotte Islands produced nearly 86,-000 tons, or more than four times as much as was taken in this area in any previous year. Also contributing to the record herring yield was an increased summer production amounting to some 31,400 tons.
Low halibut storage stocks at the start of the season coupled with a lay-lp curtailment plan instituted by fishermen resulted in restoration of halibut prices to roughly the 1951 level. While the 23,300,000 pounds of halibut reported was nearly two million pounds lower than the 1954 record, the landed value to fishermen totalled $5,067,000, nearly double that of 1955, and more than $1,000,000 higher than the 1954 return.
Other fish landings which showed increases were soles, which totalled 8,300,000 pounds valued at $390,000, and ling cod, highest since 1949, some 4,800,000 pounds valued at $423,000.
The production of fish for mink feed also increased to all-time record levels in 1956, grossing 11,000,000 pounds valued at $269, 000 as compared with 7,000,000 pounds worth $164,000 in 1955 This was reported to be mainly turbot and hake.
Production of shellfish added a little over $1,000,000 to the landed value. Oyster production had a record total of nearly 90,-000 shucked gallons valued at $340,000, with shrimp and prawn landings of 1,200,000 pounds worth slightly less than $200,000 Crab production declined from 1955, and totalled 3,570,000 pounds with a landed value of $371,000, the report states.
ed extension of enforcement measures in respect to the regulations in both the United States and Canada.
According to information from the Halibut Commission reported to the conference by Vancouver Vessel Owners' secretary Harold Christenson, there were over 900,000 pounds of illegal halibut caught last season. Of this amount, 100,000 pounds was landed in British Columbia.
What is important to the fleet as a whole is the fact that this illegal catch is considered by the Commission in its quotas.
The coastwise gathering proposed a further conference on March 21 and 22 in Vancouver to finalise rules for the 1957 season after current recommendations have been discussed in Pacific coast organisations.
Many conference proposals were reported last week in The! Fisherman but there were sev-1 eral more omitted as a result of space shortage.
• Regulations to be applied in Area 3B when area 3A has been closed: At the end of the Area 3A fishing season the lay-up program shall terminate inj respect to vessels clearing for fishing in Area 3B. Termination of lay-up shall take effect eight days prior to the closure date of Area 3A and not upon announcement of closure by the Commission. This decision is made in compliance with special request of the International Halibut Commission.
• Starting and termination of lay-up: The lay-up period shall start at noon following arrival in port. In the event the vessel arrives in port in the afternoon or evening, lay-up shall start at noon of the following day.
• Rule regarding breakdown: There be no reduction in the lay-up between trips in event the vessel is forced to come into port or plant early with a partial trip of halibut due to a breakdown. However if the breakdown holds the vessel in port longer than the regular lay-up period, the days in excess of the regular lay-up shall be deducted from the next regular lay-up period of the vessel concerned. There shall be no other exemptions.
• Lay-up time must be served either at the vessel's home port or at port or plant of sale: Halibut vessels may travel from the port or plant of sale to their home port during lay-up. If they
then leave from their home port and their home port is nearer the grounds than the port of sale the standard travelling time shall be added to their lay-up period. It is further understood that any U.S. halibut vessel which sells in Prince Rupert may travel to any port in Southeastern Alaska where enforcement agents with respect to the lay-up program are available, in order to fit out but in such event must add the regular travelling time.
IN PETERSBURG
This picture was taken last month in Petersburg during the tour of Alaska by UFAWU member Tom Parkin and Seattle Deep Sea Union representative A. K. Larssen acting for the halibut conference. From the left, William Love, Chris Christensen, John Long-worth (Local secretary), Tom Parkin, and Louis Severtsen.
A. K. Larssen, Tom Parkin in Alaska
Tour Makes Halibut Issues Clearer
Two representatives of the Vancouver halibut conference conducted a highly successful tour of Alaska ports from January 11 to 18, explaining recommendations of the December conference and urging representation at the February 1 and 2 meeting.
The UFAWU's Tom Parkin and Seattle Deep Sea Fishermen's Union representative A. K. Larssen addressed meetings in Ketchikan, Petersburg, Juneau, and Hoonah, and were even in on an organisational meeting of trollers in Ketchikan.
The latter meeting voted to become a branch of Local 30, International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, electing Walter Pihlman chairman and John Rahm secretary. Rahm is Local 30 secretary-treasurer.
New executive of the Union trollers includes Henry Durham, Donald Roberts, Walter Pihlman, Jess Galloway, Louie Perri, and K. E. Pyhala. An organising campaign is being undertaken to ensure trollers a united voice on problems which include fishery regulations and legislative questions.
Trollers at the meeting differed on the amount of troll halibut limits but felt there must be tighter controls.
The two halibut representatives met with the Alaska Fishermen's Union and Vessel Owners in Ketchikan.
In Petersburg, a joint meeting of Union and Vessel Owner members was held in the Pastime Cafe, owned by Petersburg's Mayor Ernie Haugen, who makes the large dining room available for fishermen's meetings at no
cost. A good discussion took | place on proposed conference recommendations and here as at ] all ports in Alaska, the stand was taken for a seven-day lay-up.
But the fight to raise the weight of medium halibut from 60 to 80 pounds was backed by the meeting. This proposal has won unanimous support from fishermen and vessel owners in all Pacific coast ports.
Reuel Fleming of the Vessel Owners was the first person the halibut men met in Juneau, later meeting Union delegate Bill Geddes and Vessel Owner Jack Crowley. The meeting here also expressed opposition to the split fleet and the 10-day layup as did a meeting in Hoonah held the same day.
In Hoonah, Native Brotherhood members reported this represented the first time delegates from B.C. or Seattle had come up there to ask directly for their opinion and explain proposals in connection with halibut curtailment.
There was support for the idea of a layup plan at all ports with the major difference on the two points cited.
Summing up their trip, Parkin and Larssen report that there was general satisfaction with their visit and the hope was expressed that there will be more of the same kind of contact.
There was in evidence a healthy attitude toward organisation, layup, and increased coastwise cooperation, the representatives noted.
Four - Nation Seal Pact Signed After Long Talks
After 14 months of negotiation, Canada, United States, USSR and Japan have reached agreement on a new convention for management of North Pacific fur seals which was signed on February 9 in Washington, where the lengthy conference took place. Canada and the
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Since 1942, U.S. have been the only countries sharing in the annual catch taken on the Pribilof Islands, which are in the Bering Sea, north of the Aleutians and about 300 miles west of Alaska. Canada's share has been one-fifth, which represented a gross annual income to this country of about a million dollars.
The Canadian delegation was headed by George R. Clark, federal deputy minister of fisheries, who, with Hon. A. D. P. Heeney, Canadian Ambassador to the U.S., signed for Canada.
The first North Pacific fur seal agreement was signed in 1911 by the four countries which have just re-negotiated the treaty. Prior to that, pelagic sealing, or the killing of seals at sea, had been carried out by the nation-
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als of many countries and the depletion of the herds showed the need for conservation. The 1911 convention prohibited pelagic sealing and provided for a selective and controlled kill on the Pribilof islands, to which the fur seals return each year to breed.
Russian participation in the convention ended in 1924 and Japan abrogated the treaty in 1940. In 1942, a provisional agreement between the United States and Canada replaced the 1911 convention.
During recent years, Japan and the USSR again showed interest in the conservation of the seal herds by controls on pelagic hunting, and the conference which resulted in the new agreement was opened on November 28, 1955 in Washington.
There will be controlled catches on the Pribilof Islands, which harbor the main herds estimated at 2,000,000 seals during the breeding season, and on Commander and Robben Islands, each of which have estimated populations of 100,000 seals.
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