Ramsey tele jury findings
system indicted
By BERT OGDEN
The inquest into the deaths of the four crew members of the Ramsey Isle provided a shocking insight into some serious weaknesses of our search and rescue system, but 14 jury recommendations developed in seven hours of deliberation should go a long way toward preventing a repetition of such tragedies in the future.
Coroner Tony Platen opened the inquest in Port Alberni June 24 and proceedings did not conclude until the evening of June 26. The jury, five fishermen, found that the cause- of death was hypothermia due to an accident.
Crown counsel was Steve Stirling, counsel for the department of national defence was Lieuten-
ant Colonel Clive Rippon and representing the families of the deceased was lawyer Jack Woodward. I participated on behalf of the UFAWU.
Lost in the tragedy were Clarence Cootes, 59, of Kildonan; Wilfred Dennis, 54, of Nanaimo; Philip Johnson, 24, of Bamfield; and Patrick Peters, 14, of Barn-field. The four fishermen were lost off Tofino, likely in the Hot Springs Cove area, on the night of Feb. 28. They were not found until April 20, drifting in a herring skiff 11 miles west of Cape Caution.
Based on evidence submitted during the inquest, it became obvious that the search had been called off too soon. Testimony indicated the victims survived for one to 10 days and the jury agreed.
Because the air search lasted only six days, the jury recommended that "no search should be reduced or called off until all extreme possibilities have been exhausted."
Major R. A. D. Arthur, officer of charge at Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Victoria, testified that on March 4 — Day 5 of the search — that the search was reduced and that on March 5, which was Day 6, the search was suspended. On March 6, there were no aircraft involved in searching for the vessel or its crew.
Major Arthur also came in for serious questioning as to why there hadn't been greater search activity on Day 1, Feb. 28. One additional Buffalo aircraft was sitting on the runway at Comox, but it was brought out in evi-
dence that as it was the weekend, there was no crew on standby.
The single Buffalo was actively searching from Estevan and below. The second Buffalo could have been searching above Estevan. This point was considered by the jury and resulted in another of the recommendation that "when RCC aircraft are provided for incidents, replacement aircraft be immediately prepared for standby status."
A Mr. Huggett, a master mariner from the hydrographic survey department of the Institute of-Ocean Sciences, had been called on to calculate the possible drift of the Ramsey Isle herring skiff. His calculations had the skiff in Queen Charlotte Sound, near Triangle Island by midnight of March 2.
Arne ThomlfnSon photo
• Fishermen debate the issues at a meeting held in the Prince Rupert Fishermen's Hall June 9 to take a strike vote. Lome Iverson. far left, speaks to the crowd while other fishermen look on and listen. Since this meeting, several others attracting more than 350 have been held in Prince Rupert.
Mixed results for net fleet
It's been a year of surprises so far for B.C.'s net fishermen — some pleasant, but many not so nice.
While strong runs of sockeye are reported in northern areas, pink runs have dropped off dramatically, and in the south, fisheries officials closed Barkley Sound for the second week running and are predicting it could remain shut for the rest of the season because of poor returns.
In the north, where gillnetters have faired better than seiners, an unscheduled one day opening of Rivers Inlet resulted in 410 gillnetters catching an estimated 30,000 sockeye. Escapement was 300,000 at the time of the fishery.
A 24-hour extension was also granted in Smith Inlet where gillnetters used the increased fishing time to catch an average of 110 sockeye on the outside and 200 inside, bringing the total catch for the season to an estimated 161,000.
Increased fisheries in Smith and Rivers was a victory for the UFAWU, which has been arguing more time should be allowed for gillnetters in traditional gillnet areas. The fisheries department has been creating gear warfare by suggesting gillnetters be allowed to fish in traditional seine areas like the Gordon Group.
In the Skeena, figures for the week ending July 17 show 574 gillnetters caught 199,479 sockeye to bring the season total to 308,386 in Area 4. Figures were not available for two days scheduled for July 17 and 18. Escapement was also excellent with an estimated 657,000 heading up the river.
On the Nass, 164 seiners caught 106,045 sockeye in a two-day opening starting July
11, while 104 gillnetters landed 19,699, bringing the season total for both gear types to 343,983 sockeye.
Across the north, the pink run has been weak this year with Skeena seiners reporting a catch of 22,904 and gillnetters only 1,648, compared to the same two-day period in 1980 when totals were 97,495 and 27,612 respectively.
The Area 6 fishery, especially in* Whales Channel, was a real disappointment for the 76 strong seine fleet who posted only an average of 100 fish per set with
75 percent.of those pinks. Total seine catch for the season is 5,712.
In Area 7, 69 seines suffered similar bad luck. A one-day opening during the week of July 17 resulted in only 6,171 sockeye. A small fleet of gillnetters caught 2,733, bringing the total to 8,904 for both gear types.
In Bella Coola, the seasonal total climbed to 20,670 with 79 gillnetters catching 4,758 and seines catching 9,774 during a one day opening.
The northern catch of chums is also reported weak.
The picture in Barkley Sound looks bleak as fisheries officials closed Area 23 for the second week because escapement has been extremely poor.
In a July 15 telegram, the department stated escapement to Great Central Lake is only 28,000, far below the necessary 200,000 required for the Great Central system.
At this time the escapement should be at the halfway point. The only good news is that Sprout River is on target.
A further announcement is expected July 15 from the department.
Alaskans strike over pinks
The fight to resist tremendous cuts in pink salmon prices is spreading the length of the Pacific seaboard as Alaskan fishermen in Kodiak and Cordova go to the bargaining table with the canners.
In Cordova, members of the Cordova Aquatic Marketing Association have tied up to defeat processor attempts to slash pink prices to 18 cents from 44 cents last year.
In Kodiak, details of negotiations are sketchy. Fishermen there have received no offers from processors and the main returns are still at least a week away.
But Jack Lamb, spokesman for the Cordova Aquatic Marketing Association, said July 16 his 500-member seine fishermen's association has been in contact with Kodiak and fishermen there intend to fight similar proposed cuts.
"Our members passed a motion July 10 to stop fishing
until a settlement is reached," Lamb said. "That decision is being honored by fishermen — processors are not getting any fish. The companies say we are in violation of anti-trust, but I think that's a tactic to stall negotiations."
At press time, an Alaska state mediator had arrived in Cordova to assist in talks. In the Saturday meeting, fishermen unanimously rejected an 18-cent offer — 15 cents down and three cents final payment next April.
Fishermen are seeking a sliding scale price based on 45 percent of the Alaska Wholesale Average price with a down payment of 28 cents. Fishermen also are demanding payment for roe based on a similar sliding scale formula.
Lamb said the peak of the run is expected Aug. 1 but, at press time, few fish were in the Prince William Sound area harvested by the CAMA members.
Processors also are seeking drastic cuts in chum prices to 35 cents from 50 cents in 1981. Even that 35 cents would be payable only for chums the canners deem suitable for freezing. Canning grade would pay only 18 cents.
Meanwhile, early indications in southeast Alaska, where fishermen are completely unorganized, suggest that returning pink runs may not be as strong as forecast.
A spokesman for Alaska Fish and Game in Juneau conceded July 19 that early returns were "either weak or a bit late." Paul Larson said runs to the northern area of the Panhandle "are coming as we expected, but around Ketchikan, runs have not developed as we had hoped."
This corresponds with disappointing returns of pinks to Canada's northern river systems, particularly the Skeena and the Nass.
There's a strong feeling among the west coast fishermen, based on past experience and local knowledge, that the skiff probably drifted in a southwesterly direction, which would place it further offshore than had been estimated.
The jury recommended that RCC utilize local knowledge in assisting it in search and rescue operations. Mr. Huggett's recommendation, which was adopted by the jury, was that the "Institute of Ocean Sciences be contacted initially in marine incidents for any possible information they may render."
The method of plotting the probable positions of the search object caused considerable questioning and resulted in the jury recommending that "RCC utilize not only wind and sea conditions as observed by local lighthouses, but also wind and sea conditions monitored further offshore.
On Day 3 of the search, the computerized plotting done in conjunction with a computer at Monterey, Calif., had the search object at the head of Seymour Inlet, on the mainland shore, while the manual plotting based on actual weather at Estevan had the search object seven miles inland from the head of Oukinish Inlet.
Both these calculations put the search along the beach, rather than offshore where local experience suggested the search should have concentrated.
The procedure for calling off the search came in for much criticism. Woodward and I made the recommendation to the coroner that, "the present system of requiring ministerial approval to reduce the status of a search be discontinued." RCC must decide every Thursday whether or not to continue to search duxing the weekend and the practice creates pressures "which ... may contribute to an early shut-down of a search."
The jury recommended that the "decision-making process regarding search and rescue operations be entirely at the discretion of RCC command based in Victoria."
In addition, the jury made a series of other recommendations aimed at improving safety as well as search and rescue facilities on the coast.
The Workers Compensation Board was called on to make a contribution to future inquests. The board was not represented in any way.
Probably one of the most important recommendations the jury made was that SIBs (Search Initiating Buoy) and EPIRBs (Emergency Radio Beacons) "be deemed mandatory equipment by the ministry of transport for all commercial and pleasure vessels."
This has been UFAWU policy for several years. Both Arthur and another military witness who served as search master gave evidence at the inquest that an EPIRB would have helped tremendously, especially in the extremely difficult weather conditions of 50 to 60-knot winds of trying to spot a grey aluminum herring skiff.
Asked if they would recommend that this type of equipment be made mandatory for commercial vessels, they both replied, "yes."
A lot of EPIRBs could be purchased for the money spent on a search involving Buffalo and Aurora aircraft, helicopters, Tanu, Laurier, etc.
Another way the government could assist fishermen would be to declare such equipment tax exempt.
The main task now is to make sure these very good recommendations are implemented by the appropriate government bodies in the interest of making sure as far as possible that this needless loss of human life be prevented in future.
THE FISHERMAN — JULY 21, 1982/3