law■rairs 1111111•111111. N.> 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 the eJ( with c fabutytuatthcel, With poss: lines foun' 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.