Monopoly and the 200-mile limit
ESTABLISHMENT of the 200-mile economic . zone, which went into effect January 1, represents a long advance in little more than a decade from the three, to the six and six and then the full 12-mile limit. No organization has fought harder or more consistently for the 200-mile limit than the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union, but the accomplished fact must be examined from the standpoint of its benefits to workers in the fishing industry rather than the federal government's pride in its diplomatic success and its politically colored claims of its significance for the future of the country's fisheries.
What, in fact, has been changed by declaration of the 200-mile limit? Canada has concluded a series of agreements with most of the countries claiming historic fishing rights off our Atlantic and Pacific coasts, although it has deferred to Japan's hard stand and left settlement of differences with the United States to separate negotiations.
The government's argument for its diplomatic approach is that unilateral declaration of the 200-mile limit lacks the force of international convention until the interminable UN Law of the Sea sessions produce agreement. This argument loses strength, however, in view of the fact that a majority of countries already have proclaimed the wider economic zones and fishing limits or are in the process of doing so. With or without formal agreement, the 200-mile zone is becoming the accepted jurisdiction and undoubtedly each country will enforce it to the utmost of its ability. With or without formal agreement, Japan's recognition of our 200-mile zone in the Pacific depends primarily on the federal government's preparedness to enforce it against her vessels.
For this country's fishermen and fishing industry workers, the central question is what betterment of their earnings and living standards they can expect from a measure which gives Canada full authority over fishing rights and quotas within the 200-mile zone but leaves control of the industry in the hands of the same fishing monopolies, many of them foreign-owned, which have constricted and warped its development while demanding government subsidies to relieve a condition they helped to bring about.
Foreign fleets will continue to harvest "surplus" fish — and Canadian fishermen will continue to suffer loss of potential earnings and shoreworkers be placed on short time — until this country's fishing industry is so constituted as to make the fullest use of the resources within the 200-mile zone.
As things now stand, particularly on the Pacific coast, the fishing companies are prepared to look no farther than the traditional fisheries on which they have built their corporate fortunes since Confederation. In monopoly hands, free enterprise not only isn't free — it's not even enterprising.
Pacific regional director of fisheries management Dr. G. H. Geen may deliver strictures to the fishing companies, as he did to the Fisheries Council of Canada, on the propriety of exporting herring to other countries for roe stripping and call for greater output of value-added fish products, but his laudable sentiments are lost on the companies. In current roe herring negotiations some of them are seeking more, not fewer, export permits.
Obviously, this will be a major question before the CLC conference of unions in the fishing industry being held in Ottawa this week.
Second only to the need for full utilization by this country of the fish resources within the new economic zone are the terms under which controlled fishing by foreign fleets will be conducted.
The rich fisheries of the Grand Banks lured the fishermen of England, France and other countries across the Atlantic well before Columbus made his historic voyage. For five centuries they have been exploited more for the wealth of foreigners than for the wellbeing of Canadians, many of whom continue to live at the poverty level on the bounds of this fishing wealth.
What the 200-mile limit does is to establish them beyond dispute as Canadian resources. Whatthe 200-mile limit does not do is to ensure that they will be exploited for the benefit of the Canadian people.
Quite properly, Canadians have protested the sellout by governments of their oil, mineral and other natural resources — and fishery resources should be no exception. The least Canada should receive from those whose fleets are taking our fish is revenue sufficient to cover the costs of patrolling, surveillance, and conservation of stocks — costs which otherwise must be borne by Canadian fishermen and taxpayers generally.
The 200-mile limit offers an opportunity for Canadians to benefit from the wealth produced by their fisheries. To realize that benefit they need government policies to break the stranglehold the fishing monopolies have on the industry. Nothing less will give fishing industry workers the bright future the government so glibly predicts.
I ne ri/nerman
138 East Cordova Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6A 1K9 Phone 683-9655 25 CENTS A COPY $7 A YEAR $8 FOREIGN
HAL GRIFFIN, Editor RICHARD MORGAN, Assistant Editor
Second class mail registration number 1576 Published by the Fisherman Publishing Society every Second Friday Deadline: Wednesday prior to publication.
4/ THE FISHERMAN — JANUARY 12, 1977
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"If this doesn't work, it will be time for another vacation."
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FOR years back resolutions such as that adopted in 1963 on the initiative of Prince Rupert Fishermen's Local calling for improved medical services in coastal villages have been discussed at every UFAWU convention. As the resolution noted, the constant pressure had brought some improvements, but a lot remained to be done before services could be considered adequate.
We gained a deeper appreciation of what this campaign means to the people of Kincolith, Kitkatla, Klemtu, as Murphy Stanley sat across the desk from us this week relating the unhappy circumstances that had brought him to Vancouver.
For 26 years Murphy Stanley was a fisherman for Anglo-B.C. Packing and Canadian Fishing Company and a UFAWU member. In the mid-sixties he took courses in carving at 'Ksan and now he ranks among the best of Native carvers, working in wood and bone, gold and silver.
Except for one season, in 1974, when he gillnetted for the Pacific North Coast Native Co-op, he has supported his large family from his uncertain earnings as a carver, stretching them with such occasional jobs he could find, most recently on construction of the new Kincolith fire hall.
In the early evening of December 20, Verna Stanley, his wife, was crossing the bridge to the Kincolith boat basin from which the rails had been removed for repair work. The season's first snow had covered the deck with some six inches of snow and when she slipped she plunged eight feet to the dry bed below.
It was obvious that she was badly injured. But no doctor or nurse was available to treat her. Although two nurses now are stationed at Kincolith, both were away at the time.
The only person in the village in any position to help was the health worker, Dorothy Robinson, and she could do little more than keep her under sedation until the helicopter from Prince Rupert could reach Kincolith at daybreak.
Verna, it was found, had broken her spine. Taken first to Prince Rupert Regional Hospital, then to St. Paul's and finally Shaughnessy in Vancouver, she was operated on December 26 and now faces three or four months in hospital. * Murphy had to pay his own way to Vancouver to be with her. Since he's drawing unemployment insurance, the authorities refused him financial assistance. And, it hardly needs to be added, his first call was to the UFAWU for help in pressing his case for reimbursement.
* * * Sheila Graceffo, member of the UFAWU general executive board
and women's chief shop steward at Imperial plant, entered Richmond General Hospital this week for a gall bladder operation. Irrepressible as ever, she told us, "This will be the fourth time I've had surgery. I think I'll get them to put in a zipper."
And UFAWU welfare director Glenn McEachern, we're glad to report, is making a good recovery at home from the physical exhaustion which caused his collapse and hospitalization last month. He is still undergoing tests and his doctor refuses 'to allow him to return to his desk until they are completed.
* * * UFAWU member Frank
Power, gillnetter Rambler, tells us that he wants satisfaction for damage incurred in his scrape with Kingcome Navigation Company's 415-foot self-propelled log barge Haida Monarch during the Johnstone Strait fishery on October 12.
Power claims that the log barge cut his net near Growler Cove, continued on without stopping and cut three other nets. He says he also heard of other nets being cut at Port Neville.
Hit and run incidents are as reprehensible on water as they are on land and Power, feeling that he is entitled to restitution for the damage, would like to hear from other skippers who suffered loss. He can be reached at Suite 103, 1580 Haro Street, Vancouver, V6G 1G6.
* * *
We have been asked to announce the winners of the UFAWU Women's Auxiliaries' raffle which was drawn on December 19.
First prize, a fish pack donated by Canadian Fishing Company, was won by Glen Doane Jr. of Coquitlam. Second prize, a crystal vase, was won by Mrs. G. Fleeton, also of Coquitlam, and third prize, a hand crocheted apron, went to Vivian Oswald of Delta.
* * *
If all the courses currently being offered fishermen are fully attended, the education level of the fleet, already well leavened with university degrees and technical institute diplomas, will be raised still higher.
The provincial department of education, in cooperation with the Canadian Coast Guard, is again conducting a series of one day lectures for fishermen on basic ship stability.
As this is written, dates have been confirmed for Prince Rupert, Alert Bay, Campbell River, Courtenay, Nanaimo, Port Alberni and Vancouver.
Information about the lectures can be obtained from Continuing Education Services at 254-0741 in Vancouver.
Then we have word from Ron Taryes, formerly of the CBC Fishermen's Broadcast and now with the department of environmental studies at Douglas College, that in cooperation with Nelson Bros. Fisheries, the college is offering fishermen an upgrading course in gillnets.
He reports that the course "provides basic knowledge of sizes and types of gillnets, advantages and disadvantages of using different sizes and types of cork lines and lead lines; corks and floats; color, weight and size of gillnet web.
"On completion of the course a student will have a rudimentary knowledge of hanging and lacing; knots used; percentage of hanging on lines; patching snags and tears; splicing and joining of braided and laid lines."
He informs us that 11 students completed the first course, designed by Bill Hill, St. Mungo net loft foreman, which provided for a total of 18 hours' instruction in the St. Mungo net loft, from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. For the second course instruction will be increased to 24 hours.
Fishermen interested in taking this second course in February, cost of which is $40, can register by contacting Admissions, Douglas College, P.O. Box 2503, New Westminster — telephone 588-6404.
* * *
Next we have the course on environmental law being offered by Vancouver People's Law School from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. January 24, 25, 26 and 27 at Vancouver Public Library, 750 Bur-rard Street.
Instructors for the course, which is being offered free, will be Tim McKenzie of the West Coast Environmental Law Association and Craig Patterson.
Pre-registration for the course by calling 681-7532 is advised.
* * *
Finally we are advised by Jean Bezusky, associate registrar for the Labor College of Canada, that applications are now being accepted for the college's eight-week residential program which runs from May 1 to June 24.
January 31 is the deadline for receipt of applications, which should be sent to the Labor College of Canada, 3483 Rue Peel, Montreal, Quebec.
* * *
For those interested in growing oysters as well as eating them the marine resources branch of the provincial recreation and conservation ministry has just published A Guidebook to Oyster Farming.
Prepared by Dr. D. B. Quayle, retired from the Fisheries Research Board, and D. W. Smith of the marine resources branch, it is available from the marine resources branch in Victoria for $2.