Page Two
THE FISHERMAN
May 19, 1942
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THE
FISHERMAN
FISHERMAN
Published Every Tuesday by The  Fisherman Publishing Society at 138 East Cordova Street, Vancouver, B.C.  Telephone MArine 1829. Editor   -   -   JOHN MEIRTE Subscription Rates: One Year, $1.50; Six Months, 80c. Make All Payments to: THE FISHERMAN PUBLISHING SOCIETY Advertising Rates on Application.
Our Organizational Drive
By W. T. BURGESS
Much water has passed under the bridge since the majority of British Columbia fishermen expressed their desire for an organization to represent them.
Beginning with the reorganization of the United Fishermen's Union in 1939, and the subsequent merger of the Salmon Purse Seiners with the U.F.F.U., the program for unity within the industry was initiated.
A further step in this direction was made when the Pacific Coast Fishermen's Union disbanded and the paid-up membership transferred into the U.F.F.U.
In the meantime organization of tendermen had been taking place, and today the U.F.F.U. has a section within its organization for every category of fishermen and tendermen on the British Columbia coast.
Each passing year since 1939 has witnessed the growing strength of these sections, and with the growth of strength has come the benefits through signed agreements that only a strongly organized Union can give. The members of one section of the Union have been backed with the support of the Union as a whole.
Today there remains one section of our Union only where we are confronted with the need for an organizational program, and that is our new gillnet and troller section.
The Executive has authorized such an organizational campaign. We realize that our initiation of $10.00 carries with it the protection and better conditions in all sections of the Union, other than the gillnet and troller section. We have no such security or economic gain to offer the gillnetters and trollers at present, and therefore the Executive have lowered the initiation fee for gillnetters and trollers to $2.00 in order to build up that section of the Union to full strength.
The success in negotiations, the solving of the gillnetters' and trollers' problems, can be achieved only by themselves, through the medium of an organized group. The gains made by the pilchard, herring, tendermen and salmon purse-seine men have been won only to the degree of their organized strength. The gillnetters and trollers can become the most powerful group in the U.F.F.U., but that responsibility rests with them only.
Sign up with the Union during this organizational drive and strengthen our united front!
Spawning Ground Report
CHILLIWACK AREA.
The principal sockeye spawning ground in this area is at Cultus Lake where at the time of inspection over 18,000 of this variety had ben counted over the fence. This compared with approximately 2,900 sockeye in the brood year of 1937. Cohos were found in all streams tributary to the Chilliwack River, equal to ihe medium run in the brood year. The pink seeding is reported as heavy and a very definite increase over the brood year of 1939. A heavy spawning of chums also occurred, large individual specimens predominating. Spawning conditions were favorable.
HARRISON LAKE AREA.
The principal sockeye spawning grounds are the Morriss Creek system and Silver and Douglas Creeks, tributary to Harrison Lake. Some 10,000 of this variety were observed spawning at Morris Creek, which is a very considerable increase over the spawning of the brood year. A normal spawning occurred at Silver and Douglas Creeks. A satisfactory spawning of springs accurred in the Harrison River. The cohoe supply is reported as light. A very heavy seeding of pinks is reported, which extended to the streams tributary to the Fraser River between the outlet of Harrison iRiver and New Westminster. This also applies to chums.
PITT LAKE AREA.
The spawning of sockeye in this area compared favorably with recent years. The quantity appeared to be adequate. A light run of springs was observed. A fair seed-
ing of cohoes, pinks and chums 1*>
also reported.
LOWER FRASER AREA.
The Nicomekl and Serpentine Rivers were both well seeded by cohoe.
NORTH VANCOUVER AREA.
The cohoe seeding was found reasonably good, the pinks substantial, and the chums abundant. ALERT BAY AREA.
The sockeye seeding was entirel> satisfactory. At the Nimpkish River, the most important stream, the seeding is reported as heavy, and much greater than that of the brood year. A satisfactory seeding occurred at Fulmore River, with fair supplies at Keough iRiver, Glendale Cove, McKenzie River, and Kahweiken River, Thompson Sound. Light supplies, comparable to the brood year, were observed in Shushartie and Nahwitti Rivers. The spring seeding was normal, with heavy runs at Makeman and Kleena Kleene Rivers. The Adams River seeding was light. Practically all streams were well supplied with cohoe eggs. The inspecting officer comments on the unusually large size of the individual fish, some weighing up to twenty and twenty-two pounds. The heaviest seeding of pinks occurred at Wakeman River, Keough River, and at all streams in Knight Inlet. The seeding at Bond and Kahweiken Rivers was an improvement over the brood year, but the showing at Adams and Klucksivi Rivers was only about fifty per cent of that of 1939. An exceptionally heavy seeding by chums was observed throughout the whole area.
Vancouver Halibut Arrivals ending May 16, 1942
Vessel Halibut Price
May 11—B.C. Clipper ............22,686 14.7 13.5*
"    11—Funkis ......................                     9,032 14.8 13.2
" 11—Lake Biwa No. 2....11.019 14.8 13.2
"    11—Polaris M.................8,903 14.7 13.5
"   12—Ha-Wha-Las   ... .....15,035 15 13.9
" 13—Kamchatka ............17,980 14.6 12.4
"   13—Western Chief ......44,500 Bull Hr. 14.7 12.1
"    13—Agnes C...................18,626 14.7 12.1
"    14—East Point ..............15,630 15 13
"    14—Sonny Boy ..............15,605 15 13.5
"    14—Barden ....................11,920 15 13.5
"    15—Delmar ....................17,100 15.1 14.2
"    15—Royal T...................19,822 15.2 13.9
"    15—Talofa ......................                      9,043 15.1 14.3
"    15—Antler ......................18,524 15.1 14.5
"   16—Aliema ......................13,100 15.1 14.4
"    16—Alf ............................                          15,575 15 14.5
"    16—Stream ....................                   7,655 15.1 14.5
13
13 13
12 12
13 14 14 14
14.3
14
13.5
Buyer
C. F. Co. W. F. Co. Seafood Prod. C. F. & C. S. W. F. Co. E. & W. C. F. Co. W. F. Co. C. F. Co. C. F. Co. Seafood Prod. C. F. Co. C. F. & C. S. W. F. Co. L. F. Co. E. & W. Seafood Prod. C. F. Co.
G/VE-U RELIEVE HUMAN SUFFERING
Pacific Coast Shark Fishery
By R. W. HARRISON, Technologist and V. J. SAMSON, Assistant Fishery Marketing Specialist, Division of Fishery Industries, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
HANDLING METHODS.
The fishery laws of the State of California require that the entire carcass be saved. It is general practice to remove the livers from the fish immediately after catching and to place them in 5-gallon tin containers. The tins of livers are packed in ice aboard the vessel while the carcass may or may not be, depending on the length of the trip. Carcasses reaching port in good condition are sold in the fresh fish market for preparing fillets and steaks. The poorer quality and surplus fish are generally used for reduction.
The practice of landing carcasses and livers separately has been the subject of some discussion in the industry because of its possible effect on the marketing of shark livers. In certain localities there is a rather wide differential between the prices being offered for male and female soupfin shark livers. Some claim that once they are removed, it is difficult to differentiate between the livers of the two sexes without subsequent vitamin assay. Trading is, therefore, confused. Others hold that landing the fish in the round would give those in a position to handle shark carcasses control over the trading in shark livers. The opinion is given, also, that the extremely fat livers will contaminate Uhe body flesh with oil if left in the carcass until the catch is landed.
In Oregon and Washington, shark and dogfish have not as yet gained the status of food fish, so the method of handling is not subject to regulation. Consequently, it has been general practice to remove the liver and throw the carcass overboard. This procedure is rightfully being discouraged because it is wastage of protein or nitrogenous material of potential utility. The method of handling in Oregon and Washington, however, brings out the singular nature of the shark fishery in that these fish can be taken at good profit to the fishermen for the value of the liver alone. The livers are handled much the same as in California.
If the livers are not to be rendered immediately, they are frozen and held in frozen storage, pending subsequent collection or distribution and extraction. TRADE IN SHARK LIVERS.
The method of buying and selling shark livers is outstanding for its lack of uniformity. Oil producers buy direct from the fishermen, through sales representatives of various kinds, or from anyone having livers for sale. Fresh fish houses, cold storage concerns, and liver brokers buy livers direct for subsequent sale at the highest price offered.
In Seattle, livers also are sold over the Halibut Exchange and through a liver pool formed by a
group of fishermen and fishing vessel owners. The pool enters into an agreement with an oil producer to handle the catch. The producer advances a minimum price for the livers upon receipt; and, following the sale of the oil, deducts a fixed charge for the handling and rendering the livers, a fixed percentage for acting as sales agent, and finally prorates among the fishermen the balance remaining.
Greater uniformity in trading methods will probably react to the benefit of both fishermen and oil producers, the two essential factors in the industry. VITAMIN CONTENT AND VALUE OF SHARK LIVERS.
As has been indicated, the vita min content of shark livers is not the same for all species. In fact there is wide variation in the case of any single species. During De cember, 1941, the vitamin content of female soupfin shark livers was so low in some districts that they brought but $1 per pound as compared to $5 to $6 per pound for male livers. For these reasons it is difficult to arrive at an average vitamin content for the livers of any species without continued study of a large number of samples throughout the entire fishery.
Soupfin shark livers may contain from as low as 30 per cent to as high as 70 per cent or more oil. The vitamin A potency is known to vary from as low as 20,000 or 30,000 to as high as 200,000 or more units of vitamin A per gram of oil recovered from the livers. It is believed the general average will be in the neighborhood of 60 per cent oil, having a potency of approximately 80,000 to 100,000 units per gram.
Dogfish livers generally run from 50 per cent to 75 per cent oil and vary between 5,000 and 30,000 units of vitamin A per gram of oil, although the greater portion of the landings fall within the 10,000 to 20,000 unit range.
Several samples of hammerhead shark livers have been reported to average  around  40  per  cent oil, having a vitamin potency of ap proximately 125,000 units per gram.
As stated earlier, the livers of smooth-hound sharks, bay sharks, and great blue sharks fall in the approximate average range of dogfish livers. The livers of* the so-called "junk" sharks, while relatively fat, generally yielfl oils containing below 10,000 units of vitamin A per gram, the bulk of the production probably yielding around 5,000 units.
The value of the liver is predicted upon its total or recoverable vitamin content and can be readily calculated after suitable assay. The price for vitamin A is quoted in terms of a fixed amount per million units of vitamin, depending on the potency of the oil extracted. At present writing, this is about 12 cents per million for oils of about 10,000 units per gram, and as
See SHARK FISHERY (Continued on Page 3)
'You Have The Floor'
This page is open to ail readers, organized and unorganized. The Editorial Board requests all letters be signed. Signatures will be published unless otherwise stated. Letters should not be more than 200 words in length. Letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the policy of
The Fisherman.
MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHEAT
Editor, The Fisherman:
I am enclosing a clipping from this day's (April* 20) issue of the Vancouver Sun:
With refreshing directness, Donald Gordon told western farmers this week that they should grow less wheat and more of the food really required by Britain and her Allies in this war. Characteristically, the outspoken chairman of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board did not make his speech in sheltered and far-away Ottawa but in Winnipeg, the business centre of Canada's wheat industry.
Bluntly, he told his listeners that we already have more wheat than we need for immediate requirements, but we are growing critically short of almost every other food that our farms can produce.
Mr. Gordon performed a necessary but unpalatable public service that should have been performed by the Dominion Minister of Agriculture months ago. Then the farmers would still have had ample opportunity to rearrange their spring operations.
The truth is that our production of vitally needed foods is threatening to fall below the output of a year ago while the need for them has rapidly increased. At the same time we already have in storage sufficient wheat to feed this country and Britain for almost two years. Only a moderate production of wheat is required now, but every acre of land that can produce vegetable oils and concentrated meat and dairy products is desperately needed.
To gain maximum production of these foods, plans should have been made long ago. It takes time to switch to new agricultural lines. Canadian farmers will be perfectly willing to do this and anything eles to further the war effort, but they are entitled to national guidance. It is hoped Mr. Gordon's warning is in time.
May I point out, Mr. Editor, that you had the foresight and good judgement to call public attention to the subject matter referred to in the clipping quite a while ago.
On the 10th of March last, to be exact, you published a letter of mine advocating the settlement of our Japanese on farm land suitable for mixed farming.
The thought suggests itself, that, if some of the "financial experts" of St. James Street paid a little more attention to our labor publications they might be a little more timely with their advice to the public.
—ANTHONY FIAL.
of men in service and their desire for the future.
—TRP. R. C. HOWARD.
Editor, The Fisherman:
What is in store for the man in uniform after the second World War? Will he be treated as he was after World War I or as an asset to his country? Will he find work? Is there work for him or will he picket the streets as he haa done in the past? Is there really any future for an ex-serviceman?
If you have ever been in a barrack room you will know these questions are argued, debated pro and con, day in and day out. It's quite the common thing for any man to try to fore see what the future holds for him. I have talked to a few of each of the three services, the general opinion of the man in uniform is "union de luxe"; the people united into one unit throughout the country, and it's the man in the street in every walk of life who will see that this comes to pass. Then there will be work and a living for the ex-serviceman.
Unions have brought jobs to the jobless and will continue to do so to a greater extent in the future. These people will bring this about even if drastic measures have to be used, but good for one and all will be the final outcome, for a bigger and better democracy will be brought forward through unity of the people  (for the people).
A social reform that will consider all men or mankind a necessary part of a unit based on liberty and freedom.
Work equally divided, a basis giving all men the same chances for betterment and advancement.
Hunger a thing of the past.
Education for all men and women, so that they (in the future) will realize that war is futile and no man gains through it.
This is the view of the majority
Hon. L. St. Laurent,
Minister of Justice, Ottawa, Ont.
Dear Sir:
I am writing to you because I believe that you will give careful consideration to a letter from a soldier. I am earnestly hoping that this is so and that the appeal I am making to you will not go unheeded.
I volunteered for active service out of the deepest convictions, because I love my country and believe that the war against fascism is a war to defend Canada, which like every other country, is threatened by the fascist hordes.
I am proud to be in the Canadian army, knowing that this army will make an effective contribution to the defeat of our enemies and thus to the protection of our land.
But Sir, it was not easy for me to make the decision to join the army, because at the time of my enlistment I was actively engaged in a campaign to bring about the release of my father, Jacob Penner, who is interned at Hull Jail.
But in making this decision I was cheered and encouraged by my father who wrote from the jail to congratulate me for joining and to urge me to be a good soldier in keeping with the anti-fascist traditions which he has at all times developed in our family. And staunch anti-fascist that he is, he well realizes that the war comes first and must be placed above everything else.
My father has now been interned 22 months. At the time of my enlistment I wrote the Prime Minister again, urging him to release my father. The only answer I received was the usual non-committal reply that my letter would be considered. That was four months ago and my father is still interned.
Though I am making my best efforts in the army and will continue to do so, it hurts me very deeply to think of my father, honest, patriotic anti-fascist that he is, in his present position. And it hurts all the more when I think of the contribution he could and would make in rallying his thousands of supporters behind our common struggle.
By your action in certain cases where anti-fascists have been released you have given hope to thousands of people that your tenure of office will be characterized by a change in policy with respect to these people. If that is so, you will be facilitating national unity, the basis of which exists in the genuine desire of all sections of the people to defeat the enemies of Canada.
But surely you must realize, Sir, that continuing the detention of a man like my father, by raising doubts in the minds of people and creating resentment is detrimental to this unity.
I think it is beyond the time when recriminations over the past should determine our attitude towards people. The test today is whether a person will support the war effort and my father meets that test in full measure.
I therefore ask you to release my father in the name of justice and in the interests of the war.
I anxiously await your reply which I hope will be a personal and specific reply to this letter.
—N. PENNER, Winnipeg.
Competition
(Continued from Page One)
members. This will justify the reason why we, too, wish to process our fish livers co-operatively. Some actual figures will prove our stand: Prices paid by companies to the fishermen in 1941:
Halibut ..................40MsC
Ling Cod ..................60c
Red Cod ................No bid
Black Cod ...............27V4c
Dogfish ..................lS'/^c
Prices paid by the Prince Rupert Co-op:
Halibut livers ..............61c
Ling Cod livers ...........$3.87
Red Cod ..................$1.11
Black Cod .................$1.25
Soupfin ..................$4.au
Dogfish ....................19c
This should convince every fisherman that it is high time he supported the Co-operative and himself by seeing that his fish liver production goes to the United Fishermen's Co-operative Society.
I am convinced that as time goes on arrangements will be made by the Co-op to make possible the delivery of at least 95 per cent of the British Columbia liver production through the co-operative effort.