Friday, April 18, 1947
THE FISHERMAN
Page Five
Where Are We Heading In Halibut?
(Continued from Last Week) By COLLIN McKEA
With the completion of the trans-continental railway systems in or about 1885, eastern markets were made accessible. Fishing, prior to that time was negligible, but from then on the industry grew steadily. With the increase of population, markets and improved transportation facilities, the dory-carrying schooners gave way first to auxiliary power, then to steam. The latter days of the steamer saw the commencement of long lining from the mother ship, and the gradual decrease in the number of dories. The advent of gas and diesel power gave added impetus to the rapidly growing, and more efficient fleet.
As was natural the home banks were the first to feel the impact of intensive fishing. Shallow water grounds gave way to offshore banks and a truly deepsea fishery developed. New grounds were continually being sought and found as the march westward carried the more adventuresome as far as Omaney in 1911, Yaku-lat and St. Silas in 1913, and so on.
Yield
The area from Dixon Entrance south and east in 1912 yielded 60,000,000 pounds. Six years before or in 1906 the yield had been 300 lbs. per unit of gear and already in 1914 there was talk of shortages and suggested curtailment measures.
The outbreak of '41-'18 war brought a cessation of fishing activity and production fell off. New power and methods introduced in '20 and '21 brought a new life to the industry and for a year or two returns were better than ever, so much so that the maximum yield of which the grounds were capable was soon exceeded and a rapid drop in production culminated in 1926 in an all time low of 22,000,000 lbs.
A maintained total catch was hiding successive depletion of bank after bank until yield originally coming from home banks now came from an area 2,000 miles in extent, stretching from Oregon to the Bering Sea. Tremendous fleet expansion failed to increase the yield permanently but caused production to drop to 45 percent of the maximum which downward trend continued. Thus the false picture of maintained production was finally exposed by the breakdown of the industry itself.
Treaty
Considerable discussion resulted, in 1922 when a treaty acceptable to both the ; U.S. and Canadian governments had been drawn up. It provided for enforcement of a closed season and setting up of a commission to investigate the halibut situation and to report on suggested remedial action.
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The commission actually went into operation in 1924 and finally, after a period of investigation, established the following:
Findings
Most banks have their individual stocks as was proven
by the differences in physical
characteristics of the fish caught.
2, There is a minimum of migration particularly of the
immature fish or those under 12
years of age.
2^ Halibut are limited to banks within a specific temperature range (three to eight degrees Centigrade)—or physical characteristics associated with that range of temperature. Hm The rate of growth varies with the season being rapid in warm temperatures and nearly stopped during cold temperatures. Being cold blooded, they change temperature and metabolism with their surroundings.
Growth rate is very slow varying on different banks as do the conditions. Male growth is much slower than the female. Greater migration begins after spawning maturity. Fishing intensely on one stock cuts the stock of age for reproduction thus curtailing the replenishing of the supply stocks.
Questions
The questions posing themselves were:
• How can we exploit the riches of the sea so as to get the maximum steady yield without waste of effort and stocks?
• What is the relation between yield and intensity of fishing? •
The banks were depleted through overfishing, so fishing must be curtailed. The result was in addition to the closed season, a seasonal quota for areas.
Voluntary curtailment by the fishermen further increased the effectiveness of the limit catch and closed season to the point
NOTICE
ALL, RUPERT FISHERMEN'S CO-OP MEMBERS
Final halibut settlements are being made April 21. Cheques for the Vancouver members are being mailed from Prince Rupert Saturday, April 19 and should arrive in Vancouver not later than Tuesday, April 22.
where the halibut stocks made a miraculous comeback.
Close correspondence of the theoretical restocking o f the grounds with the yield and abundance after the enforcement of curtailment was proved by continuous checking on the yield per unit of gear and rate of fishing time.
Curtailment
Our 1946 production for both areas was over the quota in spite of a very short season. This production speaks very favorably for the volume of fish apparently available. If there had been no closed season our production could probably have topped* all existing records! But what would the effect have been on the propagation of stocks—on present landing facilities expanded as they are, the markets, our returns?
Every year, since the abandonment of curtailment, the fleet has grown substantially. More and more of the larger vessels are making this fishing a part season occupation. Even with the shortness of the present season, there are at least new boats out of Vancouver to make a total of approximately 175 for the 1947 season. Seattle's fleet realized a
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sudden increase when 92 vessels, most of which come from the sardine and trawl fleets, fitted out for the first time this year! Other ports no doubt show similar increases. The companies, in an endeavor to control a larger portion of the production are developing the camp facilities in no uncertain manner which means the continued growth of a large small-boat fleet. Is it not realized that this trmendously increased intensity of fishing effort will result—with no trip limits, no tie-up time between trips—only in a rep-itition of our former lesson? Must we learn the hard way again? Can't we benefit by our own experience, and act accordingly.
We know that the commission's statement that different grounds are populated by migrating stocks at different times of the year is true. We also should realize that as our fleets grow so does the mortality rate of the stock fished during open season. It therefore follows that this increasing mortality iate falls only on the early runs. At the present tempo of fishing, this increase will soon overtake, if it has not already done so, the rate of propagation and growth at which time depletion commences. When this happens, the production will not immediately fall off, 'but the season will again become longer ar gradually we commence taking the fish from the late runs, and due to an ever-increasing fishing intensity, depletion will soon affect them also.
Effect On Marketing
Lack of curtailment has a somewhat similar effect on marketing, a small controlled production requires a minimum of handling space, cold storage space
and financing, lending itself to orderly marketing in the fresh state or in other words an economically sound operation through which maximum returns' can be realized, whereas a sudden tremendous production requires exceedingly large handling facilities, a maximum amount of financing resulting in a major portion being frozen. This can result in a loss to the fishermen owing to expense of operation, and unpredictable market trends being passed on to him.
Curtailment means an assured supply of fish to draw from even with an increased fleet and a maximum return for our quality product.
Need Realized
That fishermen, generally, realize the necessity of th6se controls has been evidenced by the request that the International Halibut Commission be given the power to enforce curtailment. This was done because a few of our fishermen, American and Canadian, failed to realize the importance of maintaining our curtailment' program and for selfish reasons repeatedly broke their own regulations thus undermining the strength of the entire agreement. Instead of revamping the rules of the old program to make it more workable and to compensate for changed conditions, we passed the responsibility of enforcement to the commission saying that a "gentleman's agreement" would no longer work.
The commission has expressed its willingness to comply with our request. First the treaty must be changed to extend its powers accordingly. We have no definite assurance as to when the treaty will be redrafted nor
COLLIN McKEA
even that it will be redrafted. Cost of enforcement will most probably be borne by the fishermen through a direct per pound levy. Organization of a complete program will take some time and international bodies customarily move slowly. Can we afford to wait for the commission to do for us something which I am sure we can do much more efficiently and much more economically ourselves. We should realize that whatever work we should do along this line would be of value to the commission and for that reason that body would, I am sure, like to see us get organizational work under way. Have you ever through of our own organizations as enforcement agencies? From now on we must consider every angle of this problem and be prpared to make our contribution to the conferences which should commence right after the season ends. "Let's be prepared for '48!"
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GREAT CANADIAN NAMES IN THE WORLD OF SCIENCE
MKMEB3
'"PHE KILLING frost came early to the Prairie grain fields in the Autumn of 1907- At an experimental farm in Saskatchewan, the morn.'ng of September 12th dawned on a scene of heart-breaking desolation to scientists who had labored endless days and nights to produce a more frost-resistent wheat . . . but, amidst those ruined patches of different strains was one straight-standing beautiful picture of life and strength . . . the red-gold miracle of Marquis wheat had come to the world.
Charles Edward Saunders, Canada's first Dominion Cerealist, developed the famous Marquis wheat and made it possible to roll back the wheat map of Canada for many miles into the North. Untold millions were added to the national wealth by his genius and unending patience. He was born in London, Ontario, in 3 867 and as a young man devoted himself to music. In his thirties, however, he followed the family tradition and worked with his father, Dr. William Saunders and his brother, Perry, who were experimenting with strains of wheat that would ripen before the Prairie frosts could ruin them. A scientist to his finger-tips, he tested the baking and milling qualities of wheat from all over the world in the only way then known,- by chewing little globules to compare the gluten strengths.
Although the development of Marquis wheat was his* most spectacular achievement, Charles Saunders also helped to give the world Garnet wheat and new strains of other grains of incalcuable value. In 1934 he became Sir Charles Saunders. After twenty years of service to his country, he died in 1937, but his work, carried on by his successors, still goes on to the greater glory of Canada's scientific agriculture.
Published as a contribution to the wider appreciation of the notable part that the scientists of thts nation, twenty-ninth among the countries of the worli numerically, have played in the drama of human enlightenment. Offered in the public service by . ,«.
Forty million bushels of grain were shipped from Vancouver s famous all-year port in 1945
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