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November, 1964
EPARTMENT OF FISHERIES OF CANADA•OTTAWA PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES OF CANADA
CON TENTS
FEATURES
Mechanized Squid Jigger 3 The Fisheries of Quebec 6
CANADIAN FISHERIES NEWS New Fisheries Research Board Appointments 9 New IPHC Member Dr. D.B. Finn Appointed Commissioner for Salt Fish Inquiry Giant Turtle Caught in Newfoundland
Fishery Figures for September
FISHERIES NEWS FROM ABROAD
14-15 Iceland: Export Table, 1963-64 N the ca jigger CURRENT READING 16 ging g large fishes place, COVER PHOTOGRAPH: Fishermen checking their gear on a stratE dock at North West Cove, Nova Scotia. early
fishes to the The contents of TRADE NEWS are Crown Copyrighted but may be reprinted in other publications. Referee to the source, however, would be appreciated. For further information with regard to TRADE NEWS v, to the Director of the Information and Consumer Service, Department of Fisheries, Ottawa, Can Multiple squid jigging devices mounted on rail, operated by hand crank.
Newfoundland Fishermen Test Japanese Method
Mechanized Squid Jigger
By J.J. QUIGLEY
EWFOUNDLAND fishermen are learning from ,the Japanese North Atlantic factory trawler "Teyno N their Japanese counterparts how to increase Maru". the catch of squid. For centuries, the hand-line jigger has been used on Newfoundland's squid jig- Cost of the project is being borne jointly by ging grounds as the principal means of securing the the Newfoundland and federal Governments, as well large stocks of bait fish needed for the inshore cod- as Northeastern Fish Industries Ltd., owners and fishery. The conventional jigger may soon be re- operators of one of Newfoundland's largest filleting placed, however, if the new method being demon- and freezing plants. The early stages of the project strated by the Japanese proves more efficient, and were co-ordinated by the Industrial Development early tests are highly convincing. Service of the federal Department of Fisheries.
The me chaniz e d method is being shown to The mechanism c on s i s t s of drum haulers, fishermen in Conception Bay by a technician on loan (which are mounted on the boat's railing), special ons. Referent to the Newfoundland Department of Fisheries from lure hooks, and a light attraction system. Besides E NEWS w awa, Cam - 3 - being more productive, the hauler eliminates the back-breaking, arm-wrenching work in volved in the traditional jigging operation. The drum assem- ti is so compact that six units can be mounted along the perimeter of a small longliner type vessel and operated simultaneously.
FISHERMEN IMPRESSED Initial experimental operation in Newfound- land waters of the Japanese-invented automatic squid angling machine produced results that were most encouraging, and veteran fishermen who were cynical about the whole business of trying to catch squid with "the new-fangled foreign equipment" be- came interested. They noticed that the vessel using the new device had taken in one hour nearly 4,000 pounds of squid, while a fisherman nearby, using the traditional jiggers and trap had taken in only 600 pounds. This was something to think about.
As axle fisher man put it: "We were really impressed, and it is surprising that no one thought of catching squid this way before. The equipment is simple and economical". Actually, no special skill is required to install and operate the equipment, and as for cost there is no problem. Even scrap metal or wood can be used to a large extent in as- sembling the unit, lea v in g only the jiggers and lines to be purchased.
The light attraction system used in the experi- fseetgo Light attraction system on board the M/V "H. and ment consists of three 100-watt ordinary light sugge Hann". bulbs, suspended on a boom extending about eight W . obtain bright
as the
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a ever alon may peri rem and
yeas Japanese experts and Newfoundland fishermen making a chute' for the squid jigging device. afte
- 4 - Squid being hauled on boar d during demonstration The M/V "H. and W. Hann" with devices rigged to of Japanese method. rail.
feet over the deck. Already, local fishermen have hoped to demonstrate that with the Japanese equip- suggested that perhaps even better results could be ment the squid can be taken in the deep offshore obtained if a light r e s embling twilight or dawn waters, as well as inshore. This would mean that brightness were developed. failure of the squid to strike inshore in any year need not result in a bait famine . Instead of the The jiggers used are much the same in shape fishermen being dependent on the movement of the as the traditional lead ones but the body is of col- squid schools, they would be able to seek out and oured plastic. Another difference is that the head of fish the stocks, regardless of the migration the Japanese jigger has two sets of pins, compared pattern. This would indeed be a great boon for the with only one in the Newfoundland units. The jiggers, fishing industry. attached to a m on of i lame n t line, are set about a foot apart, and the number of jiggers is limited only With the new invention the Japanese have had by the length of line one wishes to use. tremendous success, and indications are that the harvest of Illex ilbecebrosis byNewfoundlandfisher- A machine for turning the drum is on order. men can be similarly increased through use of the With this accessory properly installed, it should be same device. possible for one man to op e r ate as many as ten lines of jiggers. Though less colorful than the scene produced by scores of fishermen in oilskins jigging from a The small species of squid common to New- variety of small boats, which has been the subject foundland w ate r s is known a s Illex ilbecebrosis of song and story, the Japanese way may well prove (about 20 inches in length at maturity). This is the superior and if the present experiment is success- species that also frequents Japanese waters. How- ful the hand-line jigger may soon become a thing of ever, whereas the North Atlantic squid move inshore the past. fie along the Newfoundland coasts in late summer and may be taken a stone's throw from the coast for a Prairie Fishermen's Broadcast period of six to eight weeks, the Japanese variety The time of the Fishermen's Radio Broadcast remain in deep water and are fished 10 to 15 miles in the Central Area has been changed to 6. 45 a.m. and more from the coastline. every Saturday. The change was made, from noon on Tuesdays and Fridays, because many fishermen Squid are plentiful in Newfoundland waters this do not take radios along with them during winter year, but there are y ears when the much sought fishing. The Saturday morning broadcast began on after bait fish do not come in to shoal water. It is CBW -- 990 on November 28.
- 5 - fishing local E
inland ing is or the
Gulf o is the Strait Prince most 1 Orpha and P: nental North St-PiE au- To
rence Pierr such River the im Reser Centr , and ri
ritori rence Kam° , counti Gaspe Longliner of the type known as "La Gaspesienne" in the St. Lawrence River. St. La and D other the M URING the past 20 years, fishermen in Quebec other Canadian provinces: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, D have landed between 100 and 150 million pounds Alberta and Ontario report catches of between 100 of fish each year . Depending on fluctuations in the and 175 million pounds with a value of from $10 to pound landed price of fish, the value of the above annual 12 million. 1961. catches varied between 2 and 5 million dollars. 7,918 The total fish catch of Cana dian provinces meant Quebec accounts for about ten per cent of the thus a mount s to some two billion pounds, worth 1962 : quantity of fish landed on the Canadian Atlantic coast about 100 million dollars. each year. Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Bruns- proce wick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec together Quebec stands fifth among the provinces for cesse catch between 1 billion and one billion 600 million quantities of fish landed and value of the catch, after such : pounds of fish annually, the aggregate value reaching British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and 60 million dollars . British Columbia lands be- saltec New Brunswick. In some years Ontario ranks with fertili tween 600 and 700 million pounds, the total value of Quebec on account of the high commercial value of which varies between 30 and 45 million dollars. The ment certain kinds of fresh water fish caught and landed $7,64 in that province. The accompanying article was extracted from the 1963 Quebec Yearbook , published by the It is at the regional level that Quebec fisheries fishin Quebec Bureau of Statistics. are important. In the Gaspe peninsula, on the St. caugh Lawrence North Shore and in the Magdalen Islands, lobstE
- 6 - fishing ma kes a considerable contribution to the widest appeal. There are in operation over 2,654 local economy. boats of less than 10 tons. The fishermen invested $166, 151 for construction of hulls and purchase of DIVISION OF FISHERIES motors for these beats; 155 vessels of 10 to 95 tons were used for deep-sea fishing in 1962. These The fisheries of the province are divided into vessels stay away from port for periods of more inland and sea fisheries, according to whether fish- than one day, as opposed to the small coastal boats ing is done in the fresh water of the lakes and rivers previously mentioned. These off-shore vessels are or the salt water of the St. Lawrence Gulf and River. the class being developed for Quebec's modern fish- ing fleet. Some $1,633,040 was invested in 1962 in The vast body of water which constitutes the hulls, m o to r s and electronic equipment for such Gulf of St. Lawrence and the estuary of this river vessels. Fishing gear of all types, otter trawls, is the site for sea fishing. The limits are Belle Isle trawl-lines, hand-lines, gill nets, traps, seines Strait, Newfoundland, Cab ot Strait, Nova Scotia, and weirs cost the fishermen $662, 472 in 1962. Prince Edward Island and New B run swick. The most highly exploited bank s are those of Miscou, The Department of Industry and Commerce of Orphan, Bradella, American, Natashquan, Mecatina the Province of Quebec operates 58 cold storage and Parent, as well as those formed by the conti- plants, the services of which are rented to proc- nental shelf of the Gaspe Coast, Anticosti and the essors, businessmen and individuals. These plants North Shore between Pointe-des-Monts and Havre- have a capacity for refrigeration purposes of St-Pierre, off the shores of Seven Islands, Riviere- 2,026.45 tons and a total storage capacity ,f 1, 190, au-Tonnerre and Mingan. 720 cubic feet. They are spread along the Quebec sea coast. Inland fishing i s carried on in the St. Law- rence River, in its wider parts such as the St. Fresh water catches amounted to 2,525,000 Pierre, St . Loui s and St. Francois Lakes and in pounds of commercial species. The landed value of such other b a sins as Missisquoi Bay, the Ottawa this fish was $540,902 in 1962. A total of 1,031 River, Lake St. Jean, Mistassini Lake, James Bay, fishermen holding commercial p e rmit s from the the immense reservoirs of the Abitibi Region, Gouin Department of Industry and Commerce shared this Reservoir, the lakes situated in Abitibi North and catch. Their capital investment was $585,672, Centre, Abitibi Lake and a multitude of other lakes being $244, 931 for fishing craft, $249, 280 for gear and rivers scattered all over the province. and $91, 461 for wharves and shelters.
Nature has divided Quebec's sea fishing ter- Cod accounts foy more than 60 per cent of the ritories into four different regions. The St. Law- volume of the province's fisheries. Some years this rence River region includes the counties of L'Islet, percentage is even higher. The fishing methods used Kamouraska and Charlevoix. Gaspesia takes in the to catch this fish vary from one region to another counties of Riviere-du-Loup, Rimouski , Ma tan e , and also in accordance with the degree of mechani- Gaspe North, Gaspe South and Bonaventure. The zation or development of the catch of this particular St. Lawrence North Shore region extends to Saguenay fish. The methods most often used for catching and Duplessis counties and Anticosti Island. The cod are the hand-line, the trap, the trawl-line and other region, in the middle of the Gulf, is that of the otter trawl. the Magdalen Islands. wan, OLD METHODS a 100 Catches of sea fish in 1962 reached 130,942,500 10 to pounds as compared with 106,738,200 pounds in In earliest times, fishing for deep-sea fish 1961. There were 20, 107 seals captured as against such as cod, hake, plaice and haddock, which are 7,918 the year before. These different species the principal species of fish, was carried out by noes meant to the fishermen an income of $5, 170, 428 in hand-line. Each fisherman used two-baited or lured forth 1962 as against $4, 228, 154 in 1961. lines. The sea bottom area covered by such a method thus measured about thirty feet long by some In 68 processing plants, Quebec commercial twenty feet in width, or between 600 and 1,000 processors transform these raw catches into pro- square feet of bottom. The area covered would s for cessed and semi-processed products of all kinds, remain the same until the boat changed place. The liter such as dressed fish, fillets, blocks, canned fish, effectiveness of each fisherman was thus quite limit- and salted, dried and smoked fish, oil , fish meal and ed by this method. This way of fishing is still in with fertilizer, the whole with a marketed value at ship- use in certain regions such as in Gaspe North and le of ment of $9,248,612 in 1962. This compares with around Kegaska in Duplessis county. These regions nded $7,649,228 in 1961. are close to banks that are quite rich in fish and the fishermen are still able to earn a living using this In 1962, 3,786 fishermen were engaged in method. ries fishing for commercial purposes. These men St. caught different species. However, cod, herring, The cod trap is a fishing gear used in Duples- ads, lobster, ma c k e r e l, salmon and smelts had the sis county on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence
- 7 - FR.
search membe membe ogy at A. Fav Univer for five the sar Dr. Ed versity since J occasi( membe the Ma Gradua Queen' oured versity has be 1959.
Small dragger operating in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
River. More than one hundred of them are still used each fisherman. Each hundred lines in use require in the lower North Shore region. The trap looks like on an average 4 crew members. a huge room made of netting , without a ceiling, reaching from the surface of the water to the bottom Next comes fishing by otter trawls. Fishing of the sea. Cod enter this contraption, where they by trawls was tried out by Quebec fishermen in the remainprisoners. The fishermen pull up the 1940's. Real otter trawling only came in 1952. By trap and take out their catch. this method the sea bottom is fished or scraped by a great funnel-shaped net dragged by a vessel. The This fishing trap is only used under certain size of the mouth of this instrument determines the conditions, where the water is deep enough near the surface fished or s c r ape d by unit of time. The shore and where the cold water, which the cod like, trawler tows, at a speed of two or three knots, that flows along these beaches. The environs of Belle is, 15,000 to 18,000 linear feet per hour, an otter Isle Strait supply such conditions. trawl, the mouth of which is between 70 and 100 feet wide. This means a surface of about 1,000,000 to This fishing apparatus is efficient enough but 1,400,000 square feet can be trawled per hour and its use is limited to regions where certain conditions fishing is carried out 24 hours per day. The crew exist, as described above. of a vessel pulling such a trawl consists of three, univer four or five men. The comparative surface fished Canad Fishing by me an s of trawl-line started at a per man thus becomes as follows, depending on the indust later date. This is a deep-sea line to which are method of fishing utilized: hand-line, one; trawl- Fishe: attached, at every fathom, casts four to six feet line, 200; otter trawl, 8 , 0 0 0 . Theoretically, the long ending in a fish-hook. Each line is fifty fathoms chances of catching fish vary in the same order. their long. A vessel will let out from 20 to 100 or 125 However, reality is a little different on account of Direct lines, according to its size and the number in its the trawlable surfaces available and variation in the tory a crew. In this manner each vessel will cover a abundance of fish. Harkn bottom surface of about 3,600 square feet through He ha: the functioning of its casts. Thus the bottom cover- During the past twenty years some hundreds of work. ed by a vessel will depend on the number of lines trawlers have made their appearance. Quebec now scient in use and will vary from 72,000 to 444,000 square has over 78 trawlers, the length of which varies State s feet, depending on the number of units utilized each from 46 to 94 feet. Over 350 Quebec fishermen are as a I day or period of fishing. This new method thus engaged in fishing by this method. The potentiality i been a increases quite considerably the effectiveness of of the fisheries has thus increased considerably.
-8- Canadian Fisheries News
and at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in F.R.B. Appointments California.
Two new appointments to the Fisheries Re- During World War II, while serving on the search Board of Canada and other changes in board medical research team of the R. C.A. F. , Dr. Fry membership were made in Nov e mb e r . The new developed a high altitude respiraticn oxygen mask members are Dr. F. E. J. Fry, Professor of Zool- for which he was awarded the M.B. E. in 1945. ogy at the University of Toronto and Dr. Henri In 1962 he was awarded the Flavelle Medal of the A. Favre, Dean of the Faculty of Science at the Royal Society of Canada for outstanding research in University of Montreal. Both have been appointed biological science. for five-year terms. Announcement was made at the same time of the resignation from the Board of Dr. Favre, 38, earned his D. Sc. degree at Dr. Edouard Page of the Faculty of Science, Uni- the Technical College of Zurich, Switzerland, where versity of Montreal, who had served as a member he was born, and carried out post-doctoral research since January 1963, and a change in representation at the University of Sheffield, England. He has been occasioned by the recent move made by a present a member of the faculty of the University of Mont- member, Dr. J.M.R. Beveridge, from Ontario to real since 1952, and is now head of the Department the Maritimes. Dr. Beveridge, formerly Dean of of Chemistry. He has se r v e d on the Council and Graduate Studies and Professor of Bin-Chemistry at the National Executive Committee of the Canadian Queen's University, Kingston, Ont., has been hon- Institute of Chemistry, as well as on advisory oured by appointment as President of Acadia Uni- committees of the National Research Council, and versity, Wolfville, N. S. , where he now resides. He has been an official Canadian delegate at inter- has been a member of the Board since January national conf e re nce s. Since 19 b 3 he has been 1959. Dr. Beveridge is a native of Nova Scotia. Chairman of the University of Montreal's Rector's Committee on Academic Development.
Ldre New IPHC Member Francis W. Millerd, Jr., of Vancouver, B.C. hing has been appointed as one of the three Canadian the members of the International Pacific Halibut Com- By mis sion. i by The Mr. Millerd's appointment is for two years. the He succeeds Richard Nelson, al s o of Vancouver, The who has served on the Commission for eleven years and whose latest term expired on October 31, 1964. that tter Mr. Millerd is well known in the fishing in- feet Dr. Favre Dr. Fry D to dustry on the Pacific coast. He is an official of the and Vancouver fishing firm of Francis Millerd Company, Limited, and is a member of the Advisory Commit- r ew Board membership includes scientists from universities and research foundations across tee f or the Canadian Section of the North Pacific . ee, hed Canada, as well as businessmen from the fishing Fisheries Commission. the industry and a senior officer of the Department of The halibut commission, which has been in wl- Fisheries. existence for over 40 years, is established under a he Convention between Canada and the United States er. The two new members are well known for for the preservation of the halibut fishery of the of their research activities. Dr. Fry, 57, has been Northern Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea . It the Director of the Ontario Fisheries Research Labora- tory and in charge of the Biological Station, now the makes recommendations, based on scientific inves- Harkness Research Laboratory in Algonquin Park. tigations, for the regulation of the halibut fishery so that stocks may be developed and a maximum sus- of He has also directed researches in Great Lakes tained yield can be maintained. ow work. He is active in many fisheries and other Les scientific organizations in Canada and the United Other Canadian members of the Commission re States and has a respected international reputation are Dr. W. M. Sprules, Ottawa, Special Assistant ity as a research w or k e r in aquatic biology. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Hawaii to the Deputy Minister of Fisheries, who is chair-
-9- Man, and Martin K. Eriksen, Vice-President of the is anticipated that both informal and formal hearings Prince R up e r t Fishermen's Co-operative Associ- will be arranged with representatives of fishermen, ation, Prince Rupert, B.C. the fish trade and provincial governments.
The specific terms of reference of the Com- CANAL mission are as follows: Salt Fish Inquiry ATLAI" To consider and report upon -- Prime Minister L. B. Pears on this month Cod announced the appointment of Dr. D. B. Finn, form- Had 1. The advisability of establishing a Sales Agency er federal Deputy Minister Poll or Board to control exports of cured fish from of Fisheries and for the Rosy the Atlantic Provinces, having regard for: past 18 years Director of Hali Plai the Fisheries Division of (a) The market demand for, and competition the United Nations Food Her among different forms of utilization for Mac and Agriculture Organi- landings of cod and other species; zation, as a Commission- AleN: Saln er to inquire into the (b) The competition that exists between salted pr oblems of marketing Sme cod and other salt fish products in world Swo: salted and cured fish markets. produced in the Atlantic Othe Provinces. Lob: (c) Ways and me an s of improving the effi- Clar ciency of the salt fish industry and of in- Dr. Finn is pres- Scal creasing returns to primary producers in Othe ently retired in Rome, the context of the overall economic devel- Italy, but was expected to opment of the area. arrive in Ottawa to initiate PACIF: the work of the Commis- Pac: 2. Relevant matters which may in the course of Hali sion by mid-November. Dr. Finn the inquiry arise or develop and which, in the Sole opinion of the Commissioner, should be in- Established by the federal government under Her: cluded within the scope of the inquiry and Saln the Inquiries Act, the Commission arises out of report. proposals put forward by the Premier of Newfound- Othe land for the establishment of a Fish Marketing Board Shel to control exports of cured fish from Newfoundland Newfoundland Turtle in particular and the Atlantic provinces in general. BY PRI Brit Salting of fish as a means of preservation for Nov export to countries lacking refrigeraticn and modern New distribution facilities is one of Canada's oldest in- Prir dustries. Newfoundland, the Maritime Provinces Quel and Quebec have been producing these products for New export tomarkets in the Caribbean, Spain, Portugal, Italy and many other c o un tries for hundreds of (1) - In years. With the adoption of freezing and other modern methods of preservation and marketing, the trend of production has been downward. Neverthe- less Canada's exports of these products in 1963 ex- ceeded 1 3 5 million pounds valued at over $25 million.
Increasing costs, changing food habits and Cod fill competition with the freezing trade for raw material Cod fill are among the difficulties faced by this old indus- Cod fill try. These, together with the marketing problems, Haddoc will be dealt with by the Commission under Dr. Herrin] Finn. . Mackey In carrying out the inquiry, e xpected to be Shown above is a giant turtle caught in. Con- Lobste: Sardine completed in three or four months, Dr. Finn will be ception Bay , Newfoundland, by the crew of a tuna assisted by officials of the Departments of Trade fishing boat. The turtle, which weighed 1200 pounds Halibut Silve rb and Commerce and Fisheries. The headquarters of and me a sure d seven feet from tail to snout, was the Commission will be in Ottawa, although much of dark brown, with grayish tinges on the back and a Coho, ) Sockey, its work will be done in the Atlantic Provinces. It mottled belly. Pink, c Whitefi Lake T - 10 - (1) Dre