IS to the EDITOR
Union cards from past
BARCLAY SOUND
Fisheries Protective Association
Estaffi.bed November l&th, 1918. ' ' ••'
tNtTlAWfeN FKE. - 35 CENT*.
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Pacific Coast Fishermen's Union
B.C. SECTION I.S.U. - A.F.of t.
176 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, B.C.
MEMBERSHIP CARD NO.-l-C-*i-JL-THIS IS TO.CERTIFY THAT A
■________Mi^a^^-..J^a^i«^^'--..-.
is a member in good standing of the pacific coast fishermen's union and is entitled to the consideration of all organized labor. pub are paid to june J, 1»38. signature
of member-------- .....- ._____________&_______________________
• These cards testifying to his membership in earlier British Columbia fishermen's unions were given to The Fisherman by Donald Watson, at 93 the oldest member of the UFAWU. The Barclay Sound Fisheries Protective Association was a relatively short lived union on the west coast. The Pacific Coast Fishermen's Union, which merged with the United Fishermen's Federal Union in 1941, was a direct forerunner of the UFAWU.
Free prisoners held by Saigon
Editor, The Fisherman:
Events in South Vietnam are reminders of the many obstacles to implementation of the agreement "ending the war, and restoring peace in Vietnam." The most vital is the continued detention by the South Vietnam government of more than 200,000 political prisoners, and the exile of thousands of peasants from their land.
The agreement, signed by the three governments of Vietnam and the United States, declares that "The South Vietnamese parties will 'prohibit all acts of reprisal and discrimination against individuals . . .", and Article 8(b) of the protocol outlines humane rules for the early release of civilians.
Canada's representatives, with other members of the International Commission of Control and Supervision have the responsibility to investigate violations and report them to the four parties of the agreement. Infringements, therefore, should be of great concern to us, for the freeing of political prisoners and peasants are critical steps in the restoration of an effective peace in ravaged Vietnam.
Our country and other nations are expected to make liberal contributions of aid to South Vietnam.
This committee believes that
OPERA TION PINT A G
As part of a joint Canadian-U.S. study to ascertain what the spring and coho salmon stocks of the two countries contribute to the Georgia Strait, Puget Sound and west coast fisheries, the Fisheries Service is offering rewards for recovery of nose tags implanted in the heads of springs and coho.
Results of the study, the service's release says, will be used in future Cahada-U.S. negotiations.
Fishermen are asked to watch for coho and springs with a missing adipose fin. Before these fish were released from Canadian and U.S. hatcheries they were tagged with tiny metal wires set into their heads. These pintags are "no larger than the hair from a three-day beard" and for this reason fishermen are asked not to try to remove them but instead to turn in fish heads cut off behind the gill cover to one of some 75 collecting depots to be set up around Georgia Strait.
After they have been located with a magnetic detector, the tags will be removed and the coded information giving the hatchery, date and stream of release read under a microscope at Vancouver or Qualicum.
For each spring or coho head containing a tag returned — approximately 10 percent of hatchery fish are tagged — the Fisheries Service will pay $3. It will also enter the name of the fisherman in a bonus draw. In rare instances where the wire tag has been shed by the salmon, the fisherman will be notified but no reward will be paid.
Eight bonus draws will be held during the next 12 months — in April-May, June, July, August, September, October-November, December-January and February-March — and two $100 bonuses will be offered in each draw.
Only recoveries made in Georgia Strait qualify for rewards and for purposes of the program the area is defined as waters between the northern tip of Hardwicke Island in Johnstone Strait and Sheringham Point in Juan de Fuca Strait.
In future years the Fisheries Service plans to tag natural as well as hatchery stocks.
Your name goes in a $100 draw
T
Canada should take two immediate actions:
• Place an embargo upon all forms of aid to the Saigon regime pending release of political prisoners, and granting of freedom to peasants to return to their land.
• Use its utmost influence to persuade governments of the world to concur in the witholding of aid until relevant articles of the agreement are fulfilled.
From page 1
Readers are urged to write to their MPs requesting them to ask the federal government to take the two actions described.
For further information, please call George Hermanson at 224-1614 or Frank Dingman, 536-7984. REV. GEORGE HERMANSON FRANK DINGMAN
Co-chairmen, International Committee to Free South Vietnamese Political Prisoners Vancouver, B.C.
FISHERIES TALKS
• The adipose fin is removed from a juvenile coho (top) in which a nose tag has been inserted as part of a joint Canadian-U.S. study of coho and spring stocks. A mature tagged spring, identifiable by the missing fin, is displayed (bottom).
"On the Atlantic coast, the U.S. questioned tuna seining conducted by a small fleet of Canadian vessels in the three to 12 mile zone."
Stevens reported that termination of the reciprocal fishing privileges agreement on April 24 posed problems compelling assessment of the agreement's value both to Canadian and American fishermen.
"Had it been terminated by either party refusing to extend it, then Canadian fishing vessels of all kinds could be required by American decision to stay outside of the U.S. 12 mile zone from that date forward," he said. "In fact, U.S. laws require such action by U.S. authorities, unless there is a bilateral treaty or agreement with Canada.
"Canadian laws on territorial seas and fishing zones enclosed by fishing zone lines (Queen Charlotte Sound, Hecate Strait, Dixon Entrance, Gulf of St. Lawrence and Bay of Fundy) could be interpreted and acted upon by our government to remove all U.S. fishing vessels outside our 12-mile limit and our fishery closing lines.
"It would be an action followed by an action, in the event the existing reciprocal fishing privilege treaty lapsed.
"The extension now being discussed in Ottawa and Washington is dependent on several factors. Firstly, whether the U.S. shall remove the Canadian troll fleet off another large portion of the three to 12 mile zone adjacent to the coast of Washington by May 15. Secondly, whether progress is made in further negotiation on interception of Canadian salmon by Americans, and of American salmon by Canadians.
"That specific issue", he pointed out "has been the subject of negotiations for at least 16 years, back to the 1957 surf line agreement, and more intensively since 1959.
"Thirdly," he said, "it depends on balancing off all species caught by Americans in Canadian waters against all species of fish caught by Canadians in American waters.
"Our union's analysis, largely based on Canadian estimates of landings of halibut, trawl production of cod and sole, and salmon, tuna and black cod, on both Pacific and Atlantic coasts, indicates Canadian fishermen are getting the short end of the stick under the 1970-73 agreement.
"My own opionion is that U.S. demands are intolerable because they call for further concessions, despite their existing advantage. It is also obvious they will press forward with an even harder line when the salmon problems come up for further discussion in Seattle on May 2.
"The only way this hard line can be overcome is to adopt an equally hard line. Otherwise, Canada will be placed in the position of giving more concessions on a piecemeal basis under threat of termination of the entire agreement.
"That is why my publicly stated reaction was that I would just as soon let the treaty lapse on April 24 and face all the consequences.
"The talks in Washington accomplished nothing favorable to Canada. In fact, they ended upon a note which can only be interpreted by the Americans as a further step gained. Everything is left hanging on a very slim thread which may raise false
hopes among Canadian fishermen.
"Finally, of course, the big issue remains of Canadian unity, from fishermen through to the federal and provincial governments of British Columbia and the Maritime provinces.
Stevens said that following a report to the UFAWU general executive board this coming week "it will be both possible and necessary to develop this whole issue in greater detail. One of the central problems in making an adequate report is the semi-confidential nature of some aspects of the talks and the totally confidential nature of other aspects.
Text of the "agreed press guidelines" released following the talks read:
Delegations of the United States and Canada met at Washington from April 10-14 and considered a wide range of fisheries problems of mutual concern to the two countries. The meeting had as a primary purpose the review of the provisions of the agreement of April 1970 on fishing within reciprocal fishing areas off the coasts of the two countries and consideration of future such arrangements.
The U.S. delegation was led by ambassador Donald L. McKer-nan, coordinator of ocean affairs and special assistant for fisheries and wildlife to the secretary of state, and the Canadian delegations was headed by C. R. Levelton, director general (operations) of the Fisheries and Marine Service, department of the environment.
The two delegations found broad areas of potential agreement in most of the issues confronting them with respect to both Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
A major subject of discussion was the provision of the 1970 agreement regarding fishing for Pacific salmon within the reciprocal fishing areas off Vancouver Island and the state of Washington. Certain serious differences had arisen as to whether this provision should be deleted or be retained or be modified in some way.
The U.S. delegation proposed that the salmon fishing privilege be deleted, whereas the Canadian delegation considered that it should be retained as part of the overall agreement. In view of this difference, various solutions were considered which would involve varying degrees of reduction of the salmon fishery in the reciprocal areas.
In considering the salmon question, however, a major difficulty was that discussions are scheduled for early May concerning a much broader range of matters of mutual concern regarding the Pacific salmon fisheries of the two countries.
In light of this and of other difficulties, the delegations agreed to recommend to governments that the immediate question be held in abeyance for a brief period pending the outcome of the talks in May and that, in effect, the agreement be extended for a short time to effect this purpose.
This decision left unsettled, of course, various other issues of importance regarding the fisheries on both the Atlantic and Pacific. Though prospects appeared good for satisfactory solution of many of these problems, final decisions could not be reached at this time and must await the outcome of possible future discussions.
THE FISHERMAN — APRIL 19, 1973/5