New Vessel Chartered by Fisheries Research Board
Royal Canadian Largest Seiner on B.C. (
What impels a successful fisherman to build the biggest seiner on the British Columbia coast when over-exploitation has forced closure of the herring fishery and deepening crisis besets the salmon fishery?
Back in February, sitting in the comfortable mess room of his newly launched Royal Canadian, we asked Albert Radii this question.
Radii, who had beamed with pride as he escorted us around the still uncompleted vessel, fell serious as he pondered the question.
"You know," he said at length, "my father John was asked much the same question when he built the Good Partner back in 1935— and at 75 feet she was one of the largest seiners in the B.C. fleet at that time.
"Those were hard times and a lot of fishermen shook their heads over the Good Partner. But my father had confidence in the future of the fishing industry on this coast.
"When the Good Partner was built the pilchards were already becoming scarce inshore and bigger boats were needed to go farther out where the fish were still plentiful.
"The pilchards have been gone for 20 years. Now the herring fishery has been closed and we don't know for how long. But I share my father's confidence in the future of fishing on this coast —and I don't underestimate any of the problems.
WHAT'S OFFSHORE?
"But," he argued, "we don't really know what's offshore, do we? There may be herring for all we know. After all, men have been fishing off Newfoundland for centuries, yet the herring there were found only a few years ago, in huge quantities and where they were least expected to be.
"There's been no real exploration of our bottom fish stocks offshore. The fishing fleets of other countries, the Russians and the Japanese, have begun to exploit them. Why shouldn't we?"
We asked Radii what immediate plans he had for the Royal Canadian. He replied readily that he expected to go out under charter to the Fisheries Research Board this season, as in fact he has.
"I want to stay on this coast," he declared. "This is a third generation deal. My son John will be fishing this boat years from now, I hope. She's versatile, equipped for seining, dragging and tuna fishing. And she's durable, built for long life and incorporating all the latest devices."
HARD YEARS
Albert Radii, as owner-skipper of the most modern seiner in the
• AU pictures of the Royal Canadian on this and following pages were taken by Fisherman photographer John Rutka.
B.C. fleet, looks forward to the third generation of his fishing family in this country.
The elder John Radii, now well into his seventies, and retired from active fishing, can look back to past generations in the fishing industry of what is now Yugoslavia and the difficulties of establishing himself in the fishing industry here.
Between 1909, when he left his native Crikvenica in what was then the Austro-Hungarian empire to emigrate to the United States, and 1930, when he acquired an interest in the Walter M, his first fishing vessel in B.C., lay 20 hard years.
The son of a fisherman, he began fishing when he was only 12 years old, an occupation to which he turned naturally when he landed in the U.S. It took him five years working as a crewman aboard salmon and herring seiners out of Seattle to save enough for a trip back to Crikvenica in 1914, only to be conscripted into the Austro - Hungarian imperial navy during the First World War.
When he left Crikvenica again in 1927, promising his wife Theresa to send for her and their two young sons as soon as he had saved the money, it was to come to this country. But it was three years before he saw his wife and sons again, this time in Vancouver.
Now John Radii can look back over a succession of vessels, each in its day among the most modern afloat.
GROWING FLEET
Launching of the Good Partner in 1935 was followed four years later by building of the 70 foot Ivana, which sank with a load of herring on her way to Namu in 1964 after fishing this coast for a quarter of a century.
In 1944, John Radii had the 80 foot Theresa 1, named for his wife, built at Vancouver and in 1956, with his sons Albert and Celetine both fishing, the Radii family bought the 87 foot Pacific Raider in Seattle.
Three years ago, the 95 foot 6 inch Canadian No. 1 became the largest combination vessel in the B.C. fleet when she was launched from Benson's Coal Harbor shipyard. And now, launched from Star Shipyards, New Westminster, on February 3 and commissioned last month, the 101 foot 3 inch Royal Canadian joins her as the newest and most modern of the Radii family's vessels.
Under charter to the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, she sailed from Nanaimo on June 24 to begin exploratory offshore mid-water trawling for herring.
ALUMINUM USED
Designed by Vancouver naval architect William Reid, with 101 foot 3 inch overall length, 28 foot 4 inch beam and 14 foot molded depth, the Royal Canadian is exceptional for the general use of aluminum in her construction. Her superstructure is entirely of aluminum and in fact, as Albert Radii pointed out to us, she contains more aluminum than steel.
• Here the Royal Canadian is shown on trials in Vancouver Harbor during the early part of last month.
• Skipper-owner Albert Radii is pictured wheelhouse of the new seiner.
CONGRATULATIONS... Radii Bros, and Bob
We are proud to have installed our 123rd and 124th New F10D Hy\ Pumps on each of the two boats
MV ROYAL CANADIAN and MV ATLANTIC HARVI
^ffidrnstal
9"
• Fish pumped from seine to boat — from boa^
• Pumps from 120 tons to 500 tons per hour
• Unblemished fish — no damage to seine
• Any size fish may be pumped depending on I
• Self priming — self dewatering
For further information, contact,
Grove r^q^
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT
1481 Pemberton Avenue North Vancouver, B.C.
Telepr
Good Fishing .. M.V. Roy(
We are proud to have built this fine 101 foot all-purpose steel
STAR
M/V
ROYAL CANADIAN
101 Feet
Built by Star Shipyard (Mercers) Ltd. in 1968
Radii Brothers
(MERC
Builders of Steel
61 Duncan Street
New
THE FISHERMAN — JULY 5, 1968