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Few openings for gillnets in south
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percent of normal levels. He had no explanation for what was causing the lack of coho.
In the North, DFO biologist Dave Peacock says the Nass River sockeye escapement as of July 12 was 10,000 over target at 144,000. By July 16, escapement was up to 168,519.
The Skeena target of 286,000 for the week of July 12 was slightly below expectations at 206,000, but Peacock said he expected the numbers to climb quickly. By July 16 escapement had reached 355,927. The year's escapement goal for 1991 is one million sockeye.
North Coast pink returns look strong, while Central Coast pinks are on a very low cycle. "It's as if you've drawn a line between the North and Central Coast," Peacock said. "The Central Coast is dismal for pinks this year, while Areas 3, 4 and 5 are going to have huge pink fisheries."
The fleet size more than doubled over the previous week in the July 14 to July 16 Area 4 gillnet opening. The 753 boats averaged 104 sockeye the first day and 747 boats averaged 93 sockeye the next day.
The first North Coast seine opening on July 14 in Area 3 had 294 seines working averaging 142 sockeye and 1155 pinks.
A small fleet of 32 seines fished in Area 6 in the July 14 opening, averaging 150 sockeye and 940 pinks. Peacock said he expected pink catches to improve in the next opening
Area 8, which was open to gillnets and seines on July 14 saw 85 gillnetters average 109 sockeye and 49 seines average 212 sockeye. No figures were available for the second day. Gillnetters and fisheries
managers were baffled at the sudden drop in sockeye catches in Rivers Inlet. A fleet of 261 gillnetters averaged 206 sockeye in the July 14 to 15 opening. A smaller number of boats, 199 gillnetters, took an average of 59 sockeye in the second day. Escapement to July 18 was 25,000 at the head of the inlet.
Smith Inlet fishing saw 267 gillnetters average 103 sockeye July 14 to 15, and 200 boats average 114 sockeye on the second day of the opening. The area was extended to July 18. Projected catches to date are in the neighbourhood of 135,000 sockeye. Docee fence count as of July 18 was 94,000 out of a target of 200,000.
During the first Fraser River gillnet opening July 9 and 10, 120,000 sockeye were landed. Gillnetters averaged 200 fish in the river itself, while those in the gulf were disappointed with lower catches. Biologists estimated that the early Stuart run might be as large as 1 million fish, double the expected return this year, but the Fraser Panel downgraded the run size on July 15 back down to 500,000. A second opening on Stuart sockeye wasn't called.
"They don't know what they're doing," said Fraser River fishermen Joe Smith, president of the UFAWU Lang-ley local. "They're screwing us around. We don't know when the next opening is." Smith reported that river prices were the same as they have been for sockeye coast-wide, $1.33 a pound for sockeye, the UFAWU negotiated minimum.
Area 23, Barkley Sound was opened for 12 hours on July 15, with another opening on July 16. A small fleet of 145 boats landed 57,000 sockeye for a 400 average over the two nights.
Steveston picnic big
• SUZI PHOENIX (left) was one of over 300 people who attended the Steveston Local 8 picnic on July 13. Organizer Burma Lockert was pleased. "The picnic turned out excellent, especially since it is our first time," she said. She would like to thank Pat Todd from B.C. Packers for arranging the donation of salmon, Great Northern for the soft drinks, Erma and Hess Kitagawa for 10 salmon, Charlie Bunn, Ron Olsen and Martha West, and everybody from Local 8 who worked on the picnic.
• SACK RACE WAS POPULAR at Steveston picnic — kids also enjoyed balloons, the clown performance and other races. Children also enjoyed face painting and unlimited supplies of hot dogs, cold drinks and ice cream.
• CHARLIE BUNN (above) dishes out portions of roast pig at Steveston picnic. In addition to the 105 pound pig, 180 pounds of salmon and 55 dozen hot dogs were gobbled by the happy crowd.
Trollers tie up to protest low prices
UCLUELET - B.C. trollers won modest increases in troll prices after tying up their boats in a three-day protest at the beginning of July.
The spontaneous tie-up began June 30 on the West Coast in response to posted troll prices 20 percent down from 1990. Companies were paying only 80 cents per pound for under-five pound coho, down from $1.00 per pound last year.
By July 1, over 800 trollers were tied up on the West Coast, the Gulf and in the Queen Charlottes. A committee of trollers was elected to take the -message to the major companies — "Fishermen deserve a fair price."
Independent troller Bob Timmins, spokesperson for the committee, said trollers "just want to be treated fairly." He said it was impossible for trollers to cover costs at 80 cents for coho. "It takes a $10-12,000 outlay just to get out to the grounds, before you catch one fish."
On the floats in Ucluelet, the stories were all too familiar. Chuck Nichols on the Leaf II pulled out a small brown paper shopping bag with some odds and ends he had just bought — hooks, "hoochies," clips, some small hoses and fittings. The price tag: $250 plus $16 G.S.T. "A lot of guys say they'll have to quit fishing for good if we have to fish for 80 cent coho," he said.
Troll deckhand Brett Castlui says "you get more for cat food." He said prices were so
• TIMMINS
low, the companies were asking trollers to fish for free. Bob Fink on the Dodie said part of the problem was company price fixing. "The prices have fallen three years in a row — the companies think they can make up their profits if they're down on herring or whatever."
"It cost me $3,000 for gear, $3,000 for insurance and $900 for licences just to get ready to go," says Bruce Geleynse on the Alenha. "But they're offering the same prices as 1973."
The troller committee met company representatives July 3 in Vancouver. In a report-back conference call to the fleet at the end of the day, Larry Teague reported that three companies — Lions Gate, Transpacific and J.S. McMillan — had agreed to raise their prices to around 1990 levels. The prices for most grades of coho were raised by 20 cents a pound. Large red springs were set at $2.20.
• HUNDREDS OF TROLLERS tied up their boats in Ucluelet harbour at the beginning of July to protest coho prices as low as 80 cents a pound: the tie-up swept Vancouver Island and the North Coast
There was no movement on white springs or sockeye. No other companies had committed to any price changes. Teague told the fleet that the committee recommended that trollers accept the prices and go back fishing. He said no vote was planned to ratify the price deal.
At a meeting of about 250 trollers in Ucluelet that evening, Timmins told the crowd that the price increase should be seen as a victory. "We made good headway, we got a foothold. But the most important thing is that we got united," he said.
From the floor, troller Gordy Fields asked why there wasn't a vote on the deal. "It splintered us and we fell apart," Fields said. But most of those at the meeting felt the committee got the best deal it could under the circumstances.
Trollers in the North also met that evening in Masset and although most didn't like the new prices, they felt the committee did what it could. "Most felt the tie-up was worth it," troller Homer Stevens told The Fisherman after the meeting. He said the meeting passed a motion calling for a confer-
ence of all fishing groups after the season to discuss ways to work together in 1992.
Although B.C. Packers did not join other companies to commit to a price increase, they soon matched the new posted prices. Jim Hill, BCP troll general manager, said the company attended the meeting with the troll committee "on an information basis." He said they raised their coho price to $1.00 "to match the competition." He said troll prices usually move upward after the beginning of the season when the markets settle.
THE FISHERMAN / JULY 22,1991 • 3