Page Two
THE FISHERMAN
March 3, 1961
WHALE OF A TALE
Fish Stories Getting Bigger
By ALEX GORDON Business Agent, United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union
Facts on Fish is once again distorting "facts." In the last issue, in an article on whaling, the statement is made, "Union leaders have rejected the Company's proposals, with a press statement that these proposals would have cut 1959 earnings as much as $50 per month."
In the first place, UFAWU officers can't reject any company offer. The right to accept, reject or otherwise deal with offers made by companies rests entirely with the membership concerned with such offers.
The decisions to reject the last offer, and all offers made by BC Packers during whaling negotiations were made by meetings of the membership directly.
When, at the last meeting with BC Packers, it was suggested by the Union committee that a referendum vote of all whaler crewmen be taken, the Company stated, "We think the meetings you have held have been representative, and because of the time factor, our offer will not necessarily apply in the event of a referendum vote being taken." This is a far cry from "Union leaders" rejecting an offer.
In the preparation of Facts on Fish, either the editor doesn't bother to check facts, or is given facts and then proceeds to use his imagination in deliberate disregard of the truth in writing the articles.
Press Release Story Different
The press release to which the article refers and which was issued by the Union on the Company offer, stated, "The final proposal made by the company was for a bonus plan which the Union showed by calculations accepted as correct by the Company, would guarantee a minimum cut of $65 per month per crewman.
"This $65 cut would result if the optimum number of whales were taken (700), if all 700 whales arrived at the station sufficiently fresh to be used for meat, were processed by the station while still fresh and with all meat from the whales being used for good purposes.
"The chances of all these things happening are, by admission of the Company, unlikely. In the opinion of the men, the chances are 10,000 to one.
"In other years, at least 25 percent of the whales were in anything but good shape when finally processed. It is a mathematical
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certainty the bonus system proposed would lead to a cut of far more than $65 per month; in fact, $125 per month would much more likely be the picture," the release concluded.
What this press release says in total, is far different than the small piece taken by Facts on Fish out of context and then misquoted.
More Company Misrepresentation
To further establish a false picture, the article then quotes figures of earnings made by various classifications of crewmen in 1959.
Here is the actual comparison between earnings made in 1959 and what earnings in 1959 would have been had the men been operating under the company's proposal for 1961 and 1962.
The comparison is made for deckhands, fireman, oiler and cook (for cook, add $15 per month) which classifications represent the bulk of catcher crews.
ACTUAL EARNINGS IN 1959
Wages—$272 per month—6 months $1,632
Whale bonus—7 shares at $145 per share 1,015
Special target incentive bonus ______..... ___________________ 502
Season bonus ...... ......... —...... ........-......--------------- 185
Vacation pay at four percent .............
Food allowance—$53 per month—6 months
Total _________________.............................
$3,334 133 318
Or $631 per month
$3,785
What would 1959 earnings have been if the 1961-62 Company proposal was applied and with the conservative estimate of 25 percent of the catch being unfit for utilisation as meat? (This is using company figures, with respect to anticipated meat recovery from baleen whales, figures which, in the opinion of crewmen, are too high).
$1,722.00
Wages—$287 per month—6 months
Bonus—7 shares at $100 .............
Season bonus
(Target incentive bonus eliminated)
Vacation pay at four percent Food allowance $53—6 months ________
700.00 167.50
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Skeena Salmon Regulations Stand
No changes have been made by the Skeena Salmon Management Committee in its final recommendations for the 1961 salmon season and notices to put the recommendations into effect under BC fishery regulations were issued last week by the fisheries department.
$2,589.50 103.50 318.00
$3,011.00
Or $502 per month As can be seen, the cut would have been $774 for the season or $129 per month.
In addition, let us make it clear, the crewmen do not feel that food allowance of $53 per month should be considered as earnings.
Union Wins Settlement For Fired Halibut Man
A weird and somewhat unbelievable story was related to the writer in June, 1960, regarding the firing of Walter Williams, halibut crew- | man who was put ashore at 1 a.m.: at Skidegate without money or i means to reach his home port at j Vancouver.
All this took place aboard the vessel Vampy last June when the inexperienced skipper-owner, D. C. Fergusson, by force, made Walter Williams leave his vessel. It should be noted that Walter was the only experienced halibut fisherman on the V,\mpy. Apparently this was just too embarrassing to the new
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skipper, hence, Walter Williams had to go.
When the Vampy cleared for halibut fishing, Walter Williams was listed on the clearance as a member of the Native Brotherhood—he is the son of Guy Williams, president of the Native Brotherhood.
The Union took up the case of Walter Williams and fought it to a successful conclusion, which resulted in a full and complete settlement and a recovery of $300.60 for him.
It may be of interest to our members and others participating in the fishing industry that Walter Williams is now a UFAWU member in good standing and a member of the Native Brotherhood of BC.
—MIKE CANIC
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The regulations, based on an estimated Skeena sockeye run this year of 1,000,000 fish and a pink run of 3,600,000 fish, call for a 62 hour fishing week from June 18 to July 23, a 72 hour week from July 23 to August 20 and a 96 hour week .from August 20 to the end of the season.
The Committee pointed out that in preparing its recommendations it had considered "the hardships faced by the industry generally in recent years.'" Of the anticipated 1,000,000 sockeye run, the escapement allowed for is approximately 500,000 which, the Committee says, is "substantially below that considered necessary for the best use of the spawning grounds."
Expected size of the pink run, the Committee notes, should "be sufficient to provide a substantial fishery without jeopardising future odd year runs," but the escapement allowed for is also "below t:ie size which maintained pink salmon production at its early high level."
BASIS FOR POSITION
Reviewing alternative proposals for relaxation of weekly closed times and postponement of the sockeye opening, the Committee stated:
"Having regard for the requirements of rehabilitation and maintenance of Skeena salmon stocks, the Committee concluded that relaxation of the weekly closed times proposed in its November
I 28, 1960, release is not warranted.
| As stated in the November release, the weekly closed times will be modified on the basis of the actual sizes of the runs which develop.
"Further examination of the past records of catches and escapements, in the latter part of June and July, confirmed the Committee's view that provision should be made for fishing the early sockeye runs otherwise waste might result from preventing the fishing of soine sockeye not required for reproduction."
REGULATIONS DETAILED
Regulations for the 1961 salmon season are:
(a) That the upriver commercial fishing boundary be maintained at the Mowitch-Veitch Point line.
(b) That prior to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 18, 1961, only gillnets having mesh not less than 8" linen, or 8Vi" nylon stretched measure, be permitted and that
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prior to this date, a 72 hour weekly closed period from 6 p.m. Thursday, until 6 p.m. Sunday, be maintained.
(c) That fishing for salmon with gillnets of any mesh size be permitted after 6 p.m. Sunday, June 18, 1961, until the end of the fishing season, as follows:
(i) From June 18 to July 23 —106 hour weekly closed time 8 a.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Sunday;
(ii) From July 23 to August 20—96 hour weekly closed time, from 6- p.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Sunday;
(iii) From August 20 to the end of the fishing season—72 hour weekly closed time, 6 p.m. Thursday to 6 p.m. Sunday.
(d) The committee also proposes to make recommendations as follows for adjacent fishing areas in order to extend similar protective measures for Skeena bound sockeye and pink salmon while passing through those areas:
Area 3, Nass River—Sub areas 3X and 3Y only
(i) Same weekly closed times as in (c) above from July 9, 1961, to August 20, 1961. Salmon Purse Seine Area 5— Beaver Passage and Ogden Channel only
(i) Same weekly closed times as in (c) above from July 23, 1961, to August 20, 1961. (e) Provisos:
(i) That the weekly closed times outlined shall be extended in the event that for any week or series of weeks during the progress of the fishing season the proposed weekly closures, in the opinion of the committee, are deemed insufficient to provide adequate escapement of salmon for reproduction purposes.
1 ii 1 That extra fishing time would be granted if, in the opinion of the committee in the light of development of sockeye and pink runs at the time, such might safely be permitted consistent with attaining adequate escapements for reproduction.
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