Page Three
THE FISHERMAN
Tuna Fishery Technique
By O. W. LANG and N. D. JARVIS are made of steel rods. and are i barbed hook were used it would
October 9, 1945
By O. W. LANG and N. D. JARVIS
(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
In the Oregon albacore fishery, "jigs" or artificial lures of the type evolved during the early days of the California tuna fishery are employed. The fish are taken in much the same method as are salmon by trolling, so that the salmon trollers have taken readily to fishing for albacore. The bone, rag or feather jigs are towed about 100 feet astern of the fishing boats operated at speeds of from four to seven knots.
The ','tuna clipper" evolved for i fisherman "working birds" invar-
the operation of live bait fishery for tuna, ranges from 65 to 145 feet in length. The tuna boat characteristic would be that it is inclined to be designed wider in the beam and does not narrow sharply toward the stern. The latest development has been the> building of all-welded steel hulls on the American side, while British Columbia is developing a hull larger than the salmon troller and built along special hull lines.
In the "live bait" type of fishery, large bait tanks are erected on the deck aft and are used to carry live sardines or anchovetas, in southern waters, essential as bait or "chum." These tanks are supplied with a constantly circulating flow of water by large pumps, which lift seawater through an eight to ten-inch suction inlet on the bottom of the hull.
The deck above the fish hold is sheathed with three-inch cork-insulation. This insulation may be continued down the sides to the turn of the bilge and ceiled over with planking. It is not usual to insulate the hold below the turn of the bilge. These vessels are driven by diesel engines with a maximum of 600 horsepower. The holds are refrigerated to prevent the ice from melting rapidly, but the fish are usually not frozen, unless- they are in close proximity to the coils of ammonia pipes. The direct expansion ammonia system is the customary type of refrigeration. A tuna clipper requires a refrigeration capacity up to 40 tons.
Salmon trolling boats are used to fish albacore off the Washington, Oregon and British Columbia coasts. In British Columbia some trollers have cut their boats and spliced in eight feet in the centre to engage in tuna fishery and new 48 foot tuna fishing boats are under construction.
In the live bait fishery the method is as follows: When the fishing grounds are reached, lookouts are stationed to watch for signs of tuna. The presence of a school of fish is detected by tuna leaping clear of the water. When near but not breaking the surface, their presence is indicated by a dark ruffled spot which may be seen at a considerable distance on a clear day.
At other times the presence of a school of fish may be revealed at great distance by a flocking of birds overhead, since the tuna in pursuit of food will drive their quarry to the surface. The sea-birds hover overhead following the school, swooping down when the opportunity serves to pounce upon what food they can secure.
For example, the tuna may be chasing a school of squid, and the birds are naturally after these smaller fish. Sardines would be another example. Thus to the tuna
iably mean fish.
The tuna in their search for food drive smaller fish and squid to the surface where they are consumed by porpoise which follow the tuna so that the presence of a school of porpoise is a sign of tuna.
When a school of tuna is found they are attracted to the sides of the vessel with live bait, dipped from the bait tank and scattered over the water by a "chummer." His special duty is to "chum" the tuna to the side of the fishing craft and he is responsible for the condition of the live bait, keeping the top tanks cleaned, and in good repair, feeding the b^it, and so far as possible, keeping it in good condition.
If the tuna are biting they dart savagely at the live bait, causing a swirl at the surface of the water known as a "break." the fisherman clamber out on racks hanging outboard and around the stern, almost at water level. The racks
are made of steel rods, and are approximately 6 feet in length by 3 feet in width. Each rack has a knee rest on its outer side some 18 inches above the floor. The fishermen are equipped with heavy bamboo poles about eight or nine feet long, with three foot length of heavy cotton line fastened to a loop of strong linen at the end of the pole. A two-foot leader of No. 18 to 22 piano wire is fastened to the end of the cotton line in such a manner that it can be removed easily and quickly changed for another.
Lures are preferred to fishing with bait as the fish are taken more rapidly and easily. The typical lure consists of a barbless hook fixed in a tubular piece of brass filled with lead, with feathers partially concealing the hook. This is known as a "squid" or "strike." The feathers are encased in an animal parchment to prevent damage when fish strike the hook. When water-soaked, the lure resembles a squid.
The "squid" are flickered along the surface and the tuna, striking viciously, are swept aboard by a carefully timed heave and swing as the expert fisherman strikes simultaneously with the tuna and lifts him over the rail.
The barbless hook usually frees itself as the fisherman heaves the tuna aboard and the "squid" immediately is dropped into the water ready for the next fish. If a
Fish Minister Bridges MP. For First Time
OTTAWA, Canada. —Seldom it is that a man on being elected to a provincial legislature is promptly chosen its "Mr. Speaker," and is promoted to the rank of Cabinet Minister before he takes his seat in the Dominion Parliament for the first time.
Hon. Frank Bridges, sworn into i-;
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Once, Bridges "went to town" in a big way to kick over political party traces. That was just before the war; in 1938 and 1939 to be exact. He had been presiding as Speaker c£ the New Brunswick Legislature for three year;? and became fed up with a small clique in the then provincial Liberal government who were fostering an antagonistic attitude towards Confederation and towards the more prosperous  central provinces.
So, in 1938, Bridges quit the Speakership, and in the next session stood up in the Legislature { in a blistering attack against his erstwhile political friends for their sectionalism. For good measure, he lambasted the Conservative opposition party on other scores.
When he sat down, Bridges thought he was all washed up in politics. He did not contest his seat in the next provincial election and went back to his law practice at Campbellton, joining the Canadian armed forces in 1942.'
As Major Bridges he was serving at Meppen, in Hanover, Germany, last April when he received a cable offering him the Liberal
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nomination to run in the June Dominion general election in the Conservative stronghold of York-Sunbury, N.B.
With some of the other soldier candidates, he arrived back by plane to reach the convention hall only two hours before nornination, Bridges got the nomination, and then captured the riding.
The ex-rebel was soon to find he hadn't done himself any harm with the Federal Liberal party. For when Prime Minister Mackenzie King wanted a new Cabinet Minister from the Maritimes, he chose Frank Bridges.
Bridges hasn't changed his views against sectionalism. "Every section of Canada," he maintains, "is part and parcel of Confederation, and we've all got to pull together to make the best Canada possible. No sound-thinking person in the Maritimes has any thought we should secede from Confederation. We all must be Canadians from coast to coast, and develop a Canadian outlook rather than a sectional outlook."
—Labor.
barbed hook were used it would be more difficult to disengage, and the catches would therefore be much smaller.
If the tuna will not take a lure a plain galvanized barbless hook is fastened at the end of the wire leader, and live bait is used. The hook is passed through the back muscle of a sardine or anchovetta so that it can still swim about.
If the tuna weigh less than 30 pounds each man fishes indi vidually. If the weight ranges between 30 and 50 pounds, the cotton lines of two poles are yoked together to a metal ring, from which hangs a single wire leader and hook, and the fishermen work in teams of two. For tuna weighing more than 50 pounds, three lines are joined together. This is known as two or three-pole fishing, and its success requires each time working together in perfect unison. Four and sometimes five poles are used together in catching the very largest fish.
The amount of catch depends on the readiness of th« fish to bite and the length of time they will  remain near the vessel.
In a fast biting school there is a steady rain of fish upon the decks and it is not uncommon to take 30 to 40 tons in an hour or two. Such is not the rule, however. On an average trip, a crew of a clipper will count upon two or three "good" days of fishing with a daily catch of 20 to 50 tons." The balance of the catch is less sensational and at times dis-hearteningly slow. It is far more common to get a ton or two from the first attack into a fresh school with returns dwindling upon each successive try.
Purse seining for tuna is conducted on the same principle as for other species. The special features in tuna fishing are that the set must be made and the net pursed more speedily than for other species, or the tuna will escape.
The net is of the typical purse seine design, but is the largest and heaviest that can be operated. Mackerel purse seines have been used in fishing tuna but are apt to be badly torn, as these nets are too light to withstand any effort of a large tuna to escape.
UCHUCKLESIT INLET
The department of transport, through Agent W. L. Stamford, reports that a derelict named Malahat, is adrift in Uchucklesit Inlet, Barclay Sound, B.C., and is a menace to shipping. The owners have been advised to remove this danger as early as possible.
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• In the accompanying snaps are pictured some oT the. United Fishermen and Allied Workers I'nion members met by Organizer Fred Olsen and Business Agent Alex Gordon on their organizing trip from Prince Rupert a few weeks ago.
In the photo above is the Sun-nyside Plant Committee. From left to right, they are Tom Murch, chairman; E. L. Davies, secretary; and Bill Ross, warden.
Standing on his boat in the next picture, taken at Minstrel Island, is British Columbia's only Chinese gillnetter, Lee Soon Tim.
Below are the Goose Bay committee, Tom Chester, Gordon Watson, and A. Godden, from left to right.
Lost Fish Cost Less Than Lost Customers
If a man in the Fish Business finds some of his stock has 'gone off' in quality and he takes it out of sale, he's lost what the Fish cost him.
That's not so good, but—
If he leaves the Fish in stock until he works it off on an unsuspecting buyer, he'll have saved what it cost—and quite likely have lost a customer. That's a good deal worse than losing some fish.
•
Lost Customers Cost More Than Lost Fish Quality Keeps On Paying Dividends
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HON. H. F. G. BRIDGES, M.P.
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