Daf a«a A ffai* a* HoKima The above two photos, received from Mr. C. H. BeiOre, Alier HI OdUlue clay, divisional engineer for the federal department of fisheries, show the Babine slide before work was started and after it was finished just recently. The top picture is of the slide before removal of the material blocking passage of the stream to spawning siamon. The lower photo shows the spot after removal with the disposal area for slide material appearing on the right hand side of the snap.
Hie
Representing the Organized Fishermen and Shoreworkers of British Columbia
Price: 5 Cents
VOL. XV. No. 24
VANCOUVER, B.C., AUGUST 4, 1955
Tendermen Endorse Time-off Proviso
Tendermen members of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union have voted by an. overwhelming majority to accept the terms of a new agreement recommended by the Union negotiating committee and providing crews on packers with 6% days off per month this year and an additional two days off next year in place of the weekly day of rest which has been effect in the tendermen's agreement.
Rivers, Smiths Inlets Closed, Coastal Fishing Picture Varies
Rivers and Smiths Inlets have been closed to gillnet fishing cessful season. Total catch of sockeye in the Rivers Inlet area while the Smiths Inlet production will amount to some 400,000 visor of fisheries A. J. Whitmore.
In announcing the closure, Mr. Whitmore points out that this is the usual annual closure terminating sockeye fishing for the season and is designed to assist in providing essential stocks on the spawning grounds for reproduction purposes.
In Moses Inlet, gillnet fishing for fall salmon with gillnets of 6Y2 inch mesh or less will be permitted.
Elsewhere on the coast, fishing results have varied with continued good gillnetting on the Fraser and relatively poor fishing on the Naas River. The Skeena has been closed for the past week in an attempt by the department to allow sufficient escapement to maintain runs. It is expected that pinks will be starting to show on the Naas this week, but fishing so far has not amounted to much.
Scratchy fishing was the picture in the Northern and Central areas with pinks also expected shortly. Seiners in upper Johnstone Straits last week were averaging about 400 salmon per day with roughly a third of this number being pinks.
In the Straits of Juan de Fuca, some 50 salmon seiners were av-
effective July 31 following a sue will be approximately 1,400,000 sockeye, according to chief super-
eraging 600 daily toward the end of last week, pretty well all sockeye.
The Fraser last week continued
FtgH vmexs
VANCOUVER
Prices to fishermen at Campbell Avenue dock, Saturday, August 1: Salmon (Troll)
Red Spring, large ........ 33c tb.
Red Spring, medium .... 26c lb.
Red Spring, small ........ 21c lb.
Coho ............................ 18-22c lb
Blueback ............................18c lb
Sole ...................................... 7-8c lb.
Grey Cod ............................ 4-5c lb.
Ling Cod .............................. 7-8c lb
Rock, Red Cod .................... 4c lb.
SEATTLE
Thursday—July 30: Salmon—(Troll)
Red Spring, large 37%-42V4c lb
Red Spring, small ...... 28-29c lb
White Spring .............. 23-33c lb
Petrale Sole (round) ........ 8 8c Tb
English Sole (round) ........ 7.2c lb
Rockfish (round) .................... 4c lb
Black Cod (dressed) (small) 6c lb Black Cod (dressed) (large) 12c lb
True Cod (round) .................. 4c Tb
Ling Cod (dressed) ............ 8.8c lb
Coho ............................ 24-26% c lb
to provide excellent fishing with the average reported to be between 130 and 150 sockeye daily.
Salmon net fishing was opened by the department of fisheries in Boundary Bay effective the morning of July 28 but there was little or no attempt by net fishermen to try their luck.
Three B.C. seiners expressed the intention of giving it a go but only one set was made and the results were apparently not encouraging. No gillnetters were interested enough to leave the Fraser for a try at it.
One of the difficulties of fishing in this area is the crab equipment and the fisheries department in issuing its announcement of the experimental opening, pointed out that "Operations should exercise special care in their activities to avoid damage to the substantial fishing equipment and gear being used by the large crab fishery located in Boundary Bay." ^
Reports of alleged danfege to crab gear were believed to have been caused by American vessels operating near the border line.
Letters Arrive Too Late hr Publication
The Fisherman regrets that two letters from candidates were received Monday too late for publication in this issue. Deadline for receipt of letters had been set for August 1.
The two candidates concerned are Peer V. Paynter, Social Credit for Vancouver Centre, and Leslie R. Peterson, Social Credit candidate for Vancouver-Burrard. Any others whose names do not appear on the inside under the various constituency headings did not reply to the Union letter.
Federal Boat Insurance Slow
Federal Department of Fisheries report applications for government insurance on small fishing boats is "slow but steady" since the plan went into effect July 13.
The scheme, known as the Fishermen's Indemnity Fund, offers partial coverage against damage from fire, storm or other disaster for a premium of one percent of the value of the craft.
A fisheries officer said most fishermen are too busy fishing to apply for insurance.
"We are signing up one or two every day but the rush won't start until after the fishing season is over," he stated.
Reaction of fishermen to the fund has been "most favorable" he added.
Seine Vessel Has Close Call
Crew members of the salmon seiner "Izumi 3" had a close call July 26, when their vessel ran aground off Princess Royal Island. She is being repaired at Widsten Bros. Boat'Works at Bella Bella.
The seiner was badly holed after striking a rock but the crew beached the stricken craft before it could sink. After emergency repairs, the ship was towed to Bella Bella.
Aboard the vessel were: Hugh Skinner, skipper; Gil Fisher of Vancouver, cook; Wally Lorette, Vancouver, engineer; Ed Lafor-tune, 612 William Road, Steveston; Neil Wark, 1258 No. 2 Road, Steveston, and Charles Doyle, 649 No. 1 Road, also of Steveston.
Imperial Elects Stewards
Election of Imperial Cannery Shop Stewards will take place this coming Friday and Saturday, August 7 and 8, right at the plant, according to a procedure established by an election committee set up at a meeting July 27.
Voting will be by secret ballot and a polling place will be set up in the cannery with all Union records available for checking the membership standing of all workers casting a ballot. Only those UFAWU members in good standing will be permitted to vote.
Polls will be open a half hour before each shift, during lunch periods, and after the close of each shift for the two-day period.
The vote, conducted on a coast-wide basis over the final two weeks of July, will result in a pact being signed shortly and will also mean that the conciliation board set up to make a recommendation on the time off issue, will no longer need to sit on the dispute. The board had adjourned pending discussions between the Union negotiating committee and the Fisheries Association which resulted in the proposed settlement.
On the question of time off, the main terms of the agreement provide as follows:
• 6V2 days per month retroactive to April 16, 1953. 8V2 days per1 month effective April 15, 1954.
• Time off not granted in any one month may be accumulated and given off during the next or succeeding months. All accumulated time off must be granted during the calendar year and if possible at the end of six months.
• All time off must be given in home port except that: (1) During the period April 16, 1953 to April 14, 1954 (6V2 days per month) two days on Class B and C tenders and three days on Class A collectors may be given off away from home port; (2) During the period April 15, 1954 to April 15, 1955 (8V2 days per month) three days on Class B and C tenders and four days on Class A collectors may be given off away from home port.
• The daily rate for broken pay periods, statutory holidays, etc. will, effective April 16, 1953, be found by dividing the monthly rate by 24. Effective April 15, 1953, the daily rate will be found by dividing the monthly rate by
M.S.A. On A 50-50 Basis:
• All tendermen employed under the Agreement can be covered under a Medical Services Association plan provided:
(a) The individual must indicate his desire to be covered.
(b) He must have been on the payroll as a tenderman for at least 6 months in the two years prior to enrolment. During original enrolment, which will take place as soon as the Agreement is ratified, the six months of employment must have been during the two year period to July 1, 1953.
(c) He must agree to maintain coverage for 12 months after enrolment.
• The company will pay: (a) The initiation fee.
. (b) 50 percent of the premium for each month on the payroll under the salmon tendermen's agree-
(c) 50 percent of the premium for two months after an employee is temporarily laid off provided he has been employed 4 months after enrolment.
(d) 50 percent of the premium for three months after an employee is temporarily laid off provided he has been employed 5 months after enrolment.
• The tendermen must pay:
(a) 50 percent of premiums during working months or during the two or three months after a layoff as set out above.
(b) The full premium in advance for the months he does not work under the Agreement, except as provided in (1) (c) and (d) above.
The agreement actually means two additional days off per month this year plus an additional two days off per month next year with the full change becoming effective April 15 of next year.
The Companies may request a change in Section 9 of Article IX if the union requests higher wages, increased crew complements, or some other major cost change next year.
If, by April 15, 1954, the Union has asked for a wage increase and the Companies have asked for a change back to 6V2 days instead of the 8% days listed, existing wage scales and the 8Vz day condition will remain effective until such time as a new agreement is finalized.
If both items remained in dispute, a conciliation board would have to make a recommendation both on time off and wages. After the award came down, both the Companies and Union would have the right to reject the award.
UFAWU
SHOREWORKERS'
SUMMER FROLIC Friday, August 14
SWEDISH PARK PAVILION
(on Deep Cove Road near Second Narrows Bridge)
DANCING STARTS 9:00 P.M. Tickets: 2 for $1.25 — Single, 75c
REFRESHMENTS DOOR PRIZE
TICKETS CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE UNION HALL AND FROM PLANT SHOP STEWARDS
All Shorewor\ers, Fishermen and' Their Friends Welcome
ENTRY FORM (Entries must be postmarked no later than August 31)
I think that the total salmon pack in 1953 will
be .............................................................................. cases
Name ................................................................................
Address ............................................................................
Pack Ahead of Schedule, Guesses Keep Rolling in
With the British Columbia canned salmon pack ahead of schedule as compared with the past few years, a lot of people are figuring on a record pack for 1953 but there is still plenty of room for a wide variety of guesses at the final figure, any one of which could be right.
And that's where readers of The Fisherman have a chance to exercise their ability as forecasters in the Annual Salmon Pack Guessing Contest which will net the person coming closest to the actual pack as announced in the final fisheries department bulletin, the small but welcome sum of $50 in cash. The runners-up will receive five dollars consolation awards.
Incidentally, this year's pack of all species to July 25 amounts to 390,555 cases which is almost exactly on the same pace as the 1950 pack at July 29, only exception being that the 1950 pack had less sockeye and more pinks canned than this year to date.
It should be made clear that in awarding the winning prize, the figure used is that contained in the "final" bulletin of the season issued about the end of November by the Fisheries department. This figure is not necessarily accurate as a year-end survey is made afterward and the verified figure issued usually about February of the following year.
This is merely by way of explaining that the figures quoted below in previous years' packs are not necessarily completely accurate since they are the figures issued in November of each year by the department. But they are the figures on which the prizes were awarded and will be awarded again this year.
Let's hope this explanation hasn't proven confusing, because we want every reader to take a whack at guessing the pack. Remember, you get your prise just in time for Christmas, so here's one way of easing that perpetual gift problem.
Here is the question you may answer on the form printed below:
How many coses of salmon do you think will be packed in B.C. this season?
Write down your answer and you may win the $50 prise or one of the $5 consolation prizes for runners up.
It costs nothing to enter but the price of mailing the form below to The Fisherman, 301 Powell Street, Vancouver 4, giving your name and address and, of course* your guess. Each contestant is permitted only one guess.
There is absolutely no catch to it. Keep a record of your guess and follow the pack report each week in The Fisherman.
Pack figures for the last 10 years were as follows (figures represent 48-pound cases or equivalent):
Year No. of Cases
1952 ............................................................................ 1,286,468
1951........................................................................... 1,955/475
1950 ............................................................................ l,482,560Vi
1949 ............................................................................ 1,433,723
1948 ...................................................................._...... 1,313,909
1947 ............................................................................ 1,504,714V*
1946 ............................................................................ 1,347,512%
1945 ........................................................._............... 1,737,578
1944 ............................................................................ 1,084,855'/*
1943 ............................................................................ 1,210,608
