Canada I Ensuring a Sustainable School Well Above the Fisheries and One That Gets Uneven Bottom
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Vol. 7 No. 1 1994 Fishing operations reflect market for live fish more as the demand peopled settled." for high quality, live The result is a fishing fish spreads beyond operation that is adapting the Asian market to to new market realities; other consumer there is no doubt that groups. More and fisheries management and more people are the industry are meeting discovering the the demands of that reality delicate flavour of head on. these fish. Rockfish for the live The closest one market are primarily can get to fresh is quillback and copper. alive, and that's These are harvested by what consumers are handlines - a rod, reel asking for. Many and one fishing line, believe the texture sometimes with up to four and nutritional hooks. Yelloweye rockfish quality of a live fish (commonly, but incorrectly is superior to that of called red snapper), among a "fresh" (recently other species, are sold killed) fish. "fresh" and harvested by "It makes sense longlining - a main Handline fisher, Bob when you look at it fishing line which has a Bainas holds rockfish historically,'' says Jerry series of shorter lines catches in a saltwater Lang, of Majestic Seafood attached to it; a baited tank on the boat deck. Products in Vancouver. hook is fastened to each of "Traditionally, in Asia, ~ose large-eyed there was no way to keep a fish swimming languidly in fish fresh. Refrigeration INSIDE the tanks ofVancouver's was virtually non-existent. Chinatown food markets Only if the fish was are having a big influence moving, could freshness be More women on the way the west coast assured. So the fish were fishing hook and line fishers sold live; killed and harvest their catch. cleaned on the spot for the Arctic sojourn The market for BC's consumer. The tradition live rockfish is booming has simply been packed up and promises to grow even and taken wherever Asian Seapen success Fisheries Pech es l+I and Oceans et Oceans Canada I ensuring a sustainable school well above the fisheries and one that gets uneven bottom. the best economic return The names paint a for the resource. picture: rougheye rockfish, Understanding the darkblotched rockfish, culture of this market is China, redbanded, important, says Tchao. quillback, copper, and "For example, black shortspine thornyhead rockfish doesn't sell well (also known as "idiots"). during the Chinese New To be successful, a Year. Black is considered fisher wanting to make a bad luck. Another custom living in the live rockfish dictates fish to be sold with market faces a number of its head and tail attached. challenges. Rockfish are a Still colourful and very much alive, rockfish at Chong Lee These, like the new year, long-lived fish. DFO Seafood in Chinatown are kept in temperature controlled symbolize a beginning and research biologist Lynne tanks until purchased. an end." Yamanaka has aged For Tchao and others yelloweye from the Queen the shorter lines. market needs, biological in his business, Fishers harvest concerns and enforcement good according to the issues. We now have a plan management Groundfish Hook and Line which addresses most plans are Management Plan, concerns and at the same essential. "I am developed in consultation time, stays within the not speaking with the Groundfish Hook catch limits." solely for and Line Advisory How much the Tri-Star but for Committee. It's a plan that market can absorb is the industry as Jerry Lang says is the best critical. Chinatown, for a whole when I ever. Asked why and he'll example, uses nearly 1000 say we don't answer, "the price is better. kilograms oflive rockfish a want stocks to It's already $2.25 a day and more on be depleted. We kilogram (dollar a pound) weekends, says Francis depend more than last year." Tchao of Tri-Star Seafood on these What makes the Supply Ltd. During resources management plan so Christmas and the Chinese for our different? New year that figure livelihoods." Devona Adams, doubles to nearly 2000 Rockfish management operations kilograms a day. belong to the officer for DFO's "It's very important large Groundfish Management to provide fish to the worldwide Unit says that openings for market on a year-round family fishing are staggered to basis," says Adams. Scorpaenidae. meet the market needs. "Staggered openings in the Some cold ''We said to members of the fishing plan reflect this water species of advisory committee need and avoid flooding the the North (fishers, processors and market with live fish, Pacific waters Service and quality are the order of buyers), "Here's the quota. keeping the prices stable." swim actively the day at food markets such as Chong How do you want to set up It doesn't cost any about in rocky Lee's. Customers pick the fish of their the fishery?" They came more, either, to manage regions of the choice; it is promptly killed, cleaned back with suggestions for the fishery this way. DFO continental and wrapped within minutes. openings sensitive to is, among other things, shelves or Pacific TIDINGS, P. 2 Charlottes up to 98 years Until the "Keeping them in old. The average age for transport deep water in special this species in the Strait of truck containers keeps the light Georgia is from 25 to 30 arrives, out. That helps keep stress rockfish levels low and the colour years. A one-kilogram are copper or quillback in the suspended high. I also keep the larger Strait of Georgia can be in deep fish separate from the from 15 to 70 years old. water smaller one-kilogram fish Unlike salmon, mfixxJ,qua/il:y (the most desired)." rockfish mate and plastic Transfer to the reproduce every year until wine transport truck is a they die. But it can take drums or meticulous procedure. The years before they reach wire pens fish are handled in small sexual maturity. Some of at the quantities and with great them, depending on the dock. care. Tanks on board the species and the area they trucks are filled with cold live, are fifteen years old water which is kept chilled before they are sexually to increase the oxygen mature. Rockfish, again level, thus slowing down unlike the egg-laying the metabolism of the fish salmon, bear live young. so they are less stressed. Bringing in a Once at the high-quality fish is the key processors/fish buyers, live to success in this business. fish are kept in tanks at Bob Bainas is a handline 3.3°C. It's an expensive fisher. He catches rockfish operation, says Jerry Lang. in the Strait of Georgia for "To sell a quality product, the live market in we have to begin with Chinatown. And he's fussy quality and keep it that about the kind of fish he way." sends to the processor/fish Consumers are buyer . This is a getting the product they low-volume, high-value want. The quality offish is fishery. Live fish sell for to live on." Bainas' philosophy better. Two years ago, says twice the price as a "fresh" On average, he for fishing? "Take care of Lang, I was turning fish fish - a premium the catches close to 200 all the little things along away because of poor consumer is prepared to kilograms a week. He the way and end up with a quality; today those same pay. targets for quillback and quality product." fishers are bringing in the "I like the way I fish," copper rockfish. The little things start best fish ever. • says Bainas. "It's very Maintaining high right at the beginning with controlled, the fish are of quality takes a lot of the type of gear (Bainas the highest quality and I experience and know-how. makes his own and uses fish selectively, on different For example, because of a barbless hooks; its less reefs, and from depths of gas bladder which greatly damaging) to bringing in nine to ninety metres, expands when water the fish, keeping them in harvesting a few fish here pressure decreases, these saltwater tanks on the and few there, never deep water fish need to be boat, to "holding" them putting undue pressure on handled very delicately to once back at the dock. any one area. I take 40 fish avoid injury and death Bainas keeps his catch in a day. That's what I target when brought up to the separate pens hanging because that's what I need surface and on to the boat. deep in the water. Pacific TIDINGS, P. 3 Chinook rebuilding in the Squamish River By using seapen release facilities for hatchery T he Squamish raised chinook smolts, River is one of the three survival is dramatically index rivers ofDFO's improving. Three to ten Chinook Rebuilding times more hatchery Program. The long-term smolts are surviving when task of the program, released into seapens, developed in 1988, is to compared to the number restore and sustain surviving when released spawning escapements to directly into the freshwater all natural chinook of the Squamish River. populations in BC's lower Adult returns of these Strait of Georgia. 'seapen' chinook are also The program focusses an improvement over the on chinook populations in disappointing returns prior Vancouver Island's to seapen operations. Cowichan and N anaimo Fisheries biologists three to four per rivers and the mainland's estimate that about 50 per cent and that, Squamish River. Increases cent of the returns in 1993 according to in spawning escapements were hatchery chinook. fisheries biologists to these areas are being Normally, wild is a fantastic rate.