HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
Sorry, happy new year, I'll say it a little quieter for those of you who's heads are throbbing this morning. Like it or not, we're off to a whole new calender, and all the new resolutions that come with it, here's mine. I want to do even more for quality. I have an idea how to make our product better, hopefully I can get some of you to start supporting it. Individual Fisherman Identification tags.
The basic thought is to make all trollers accountable for the fish they are selling, by attaching their name to each one. We all know who the guys in the fleet are that need to do better. They're the ones who's fish haven't been iced properly, held to long, still have pieces of gut, gill, or sea lice attached, improper cuts, etc. The graders catch some of the obvious things like a seal bite, but bruising can be invisible, until it gets to the chef.
Unfortunately the current way we do things allow for improperly cared for fish to anonomously sell for the same price as yours, providing no incentive for the worst offenders to try harder.
I would like to convince all of our processors to insist that each fisherman's fish have a simple zip-tie attached around the jaw with the individual's name on it. I can't see any of the processors having a problem with this, as it would only make their job easier, and ultimately provide a better product for them to market.
In no time at all, word would come all the way up the line who was doing a good job, and who wasn't, and I gaurantee you quality of salmon industry wide would improve dramatically.
A 1000, 1/4 inch wide, customized zip-ties with your name, or vessel name on it couldn't cost more than a couple of bucks over at Kinko's, and if quality improvement got you a better price because of it, wouldn't it be worth it?
The only fisherman I can think of who would be opposed to it, are those who have something they wish to hide, which is something the rest of us simply should not stand for.
Tomorrow when my local processor's general manager looks a little better, I'm going to go work on him with this idea.
I challenge each and every one of you, if you have any pride in your fish what-so-ever, to do the same. Labeling your fish as a quality product with your name attached, says to the world that you are proud of it.
Individual Fisherman Identification
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
At the SPC board we continuously discuss quality and what you are asking is not far off in my view, I would like to say the perception that there is a group of guys out there who are deliverying sub-quality fish is unfounded. For the most part the troll fleet is deliverying the best fish the market see's, the guys sho deliver sub-standard fish are a very small minority and I know that within SPC we have been modifying our Quality Control program to not only assure the customer, but to also identify boats and issues aboard boats that effect quality.
Tagging fish is something we will be doing at some point in the future as the European Union is asking for tracability so this is coming and yes identifying problem boats is a starting point.
Problems with quality can also happen on boats where the skipper and crew are quality conscious, one of the issues SPC has run into is finger bruises caused by the bleeding technique using a pipette, seems that if water pressure is to high then the blood vessels explode leaving small bruises inside the meat. SPC see's these bruises once we fillet the fish, so this year one of the questions that will be asked at unloading is what system is used for bleeding.
When SPC looks at the overall grade on our production the amount of mishandled fish is very small and not reflected as an overall negative. What I am trying to say is when we look at our regrade analysis there is not any glaring examples of sub-standard nor do we see claims from our customers. Which leads me back to that within the SPC membership the quality of fish produced is some of the best in the market.
Tagging fish is something we will be doing at some point in the future as the European Union is asking for tracability so this is coming and yes identifying problem boats is a starting point.
Problems with quality can also happen on boats where the skipper and crew are quality conscious, one of the issues SPC has run into is finger bruises caused by the bleeding technique using a pipette, seems that if water pressure is to high then the blood vessels explode leaving small bruises inside the meat. SPC see's these bruises once we fillet the fish, so this year one of the questions that will be asked at unloading is what system is used for bleeding.
When SPC looks at the overall grade on our production the amount of mishandled fish is very small and not reflected as an overall negative. What I am trying to say is when we look at our regrade analysis there is not any glaring examples of sub-standard nor do we see claims from our customers. Which leads me back to that within the SPC membership the quality of fish produced is some of the best in the market.
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Ocean Gold
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Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
Tom don't we do that at the co-op for freezer fish already with those button tags? I would love to see it on kings and Coho's along with a system of recording days really fished for all coop deliveries ! Listen to me spouting about quality coming from a gillnet/reefnet background. But we spent years then trying to get more money for fish as direct marketers and overall trying to get the processors to recognize the value of bleeding fish alive. We got the point across, but they only thanked us and said "the eggs were better and the techs could tell them apart but they just got thrown in with the others " when we joined the coop in 2000ish the best thing that we saw was how the quality control was done and how it changed our personal fish that we thought were "cleaned right" after fishing since 1968 you would have thought we learned something. It does make one think twice about some boats delivering long trips, low quality or large bailers full. If done right I think that there could be a premium price paid for fish under 3 days. I would love to see a quality tagging system that has a benefit to the fisherman but everytime we get involved with a program like that we pay for others neglect. I use to pick and choose fish to take home for our home pack, but now I just tell the guys to take 150 lbs smaller cohos for our home pack.I know my fish are great and beats anything that I took home 10 years ago. I know that Kathy learned how to clean and ice fish just fine 
Ed
Ed
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
Tom and all,
Happy New Year everyone. Great to be here for another year.
Where are you delivering your fish? Watching boats deliver iced coho on the 9th day in both Pelican and Sitka over the years has led me to wonder who is counting? The common practice of starting trip days count at 0 instead of 1 needs to be re thought. While I do it myself lets be honest and admit that dressed slushed troll salmon after 72 hours are not the same quality as those delivered on day one. But, we get paid the same.
I remember being on the ATA board and trying to get my peers to even think about discussing season length with the managers so that we didn't end up with 6-8 day July 1 openings thereby compromising a good deal of our iced production as it was delivered on the 8-10th day. I personally think we should advise troll managers to not schedule a July 1 or August Chinook opening opening if it is more than five days and less than 10. Break it up into a couple of openings. I was roundly rebuked for even suggesting such blasphemy.
I remember the opening a few years ago when we had a five day July 1 opening and it was extended a day. I had unloaded on the night of the second day so I had plenty of ice and room when I got on that bite off of Yakobi on the 4th. I still used all my ice and almost all my hold space on the 250 kings plus coho and ling I caught on the 4th, 5th, and 6th. (I caught a few on the 3rd but spent most of that day traveling.) Lots of guys were compromising quality on that 6th day. One of my partners with a big steel boat gave up that last day because he figured that even though he had ice and room it would be the 8th or 9th day by the time he got unloaded if he fished through the evening on the 6th. Based on our respective catch rates that meant that he gave up 200 or more kings to maintain quality. Unfortunately he was a rare minority. I called and arranged to deliver my load in Kalinin Bay on the night of the 6th. Some of my partners were still waiting to unload when I brought in my coho trip three days later on the evening of the 9th.
While our troll handled salmon are light years ahead of the gillnet and seine handled salmon there is still lots of room for improvement. Four of the young guys in my coding group have gone over to freezing at sea in the last two years and they are getting paid way more mostly because of the quality difference between the frozen at sea salmon and the iced trips.
It is great for guys to talk about quality. It is quite another thing to actually make the investment and commitment to improve quality. Particularly when you don't get paid for it. I, for example, still have a long way to go and it is amazing to me how much we learn about improving things every year. The first step toward better troll salmon quality it seems to me, Tom, and others, is recognizing that, while we are way ahead of most of the rest of the salmon harvest industry in handling our troll salmon, we still have problems and could do better.
I already talked about my frustration with watching trollers sling or throw salmon aboard rather than slipping or sliding them aboard. My good friend, who used to own a small processing plant, was completely disgusted with the quality of troll caught dressed coho that he bought and tried to turn into quality fillets.
I am also pretty disgusted with watching guys deliver brailer bags of dressed fish, lightly spray the bag off, and then put it back in the hold ready for ice and fish. Brailer bags need to be thoroughly cleaned, rinsed in a bleach solution, rinsed again, dried off, and then eventually put back into use holding dressed fish. If you are slushing dressed salmon I recommend at least a complete backup set to rotate based on over 20 seasons of slushing salmon. I have room for 11 bags of slushed salmon in my holds. I carry 33 brailer bags. I was guilty of not thoroughly cleaning my brailer bags for years. It was only when I read about the bacteria load these bags can carry and transmit to dressed salmon that I rethought my brailer bag cleaning and re-use system.
I don't even want to talk about the task of cleaning and disinfecting slush bags and the need to also rotate those. I suspect there are problems but since I don't use that system I don't know the details of making sure they are cleaned and disinfected every trip.
Tomorrow we tear my hayrack and gurdies off and start the process of rebuilding my back deck to make it more efficient, more quality oriented, and ergonomic. I will send pictures when it is done.
Happy New Year everyone. Great to be here for another year.
Where are you delivering your fish? Watching boats deliver iced coho on the 9th day in both Pelican and Sitka over the years has led me to wonder who is counting? The common practice of starting trip days count at 0 instead of 1 needs to be re thought. While I do it myself lets be honest and admit that dressed slushed troll salmon after 72 hours are not the same quality as those delivered on day one. But, we get paid the same.
I remember being on the ATA board and trying to get my peers to even think about discussing season length with the managers so that we didn't end up with 6-8 day July 1 openings thereby compromising a good deal of our iced production as it was delivered on the 8-10th day. I personally think we should advise troll managers to not schedule a July 1 or August Chinook opening opening if it is more than five days and less than 10. Break it up into a couple of openings. I was roundly rebuked for even suggesting such blasphemy.
I remember the opening a few years ago when we had a five day July 1 opening and it was extended a day. I had unloaded on the night of the second day so I had plenty of ice and room when I got on that bite off of Yakobi on the 4th. I still used all my ice and almost all my hold space on the 250 kings plus coho and ling I caught on the 4th, 5th, and 6th. (I caught a few on the 3rd but spent most of that day traveling.) Lots of guys were compromising quality on that 6th day. One of my partners with a big steel boat gave up that last day because he figured that even though he had ice and room it would be the 8th or 9th day by the time he got unloaded if he fished through the evening on the 6th. Based on our respective catch rates that meant that he gave up 200 or more kings to maintain quality. Unfortunately he was a rare minority. I called and arranged to deliver my load in Kalinin Bay on the night of the 6th. Some of my partners were still waiting to unload when I brought in my coho trip three days later on the evening of the 9th.
While our troll handled salmon are light years ahead of the gillnet and seine handled salmon there is still lots of room for improvement. Four of the young guys in my coding group have gone over to freezing at sea in the last two years and they are getting paid way more mostly because of the quality difference between the frozen at sea salmon and the iced trips.
It is great for guys to talk about quality. It is quite another thing to actually make the investment and commitment to improve quality. Particularly when you don't get paid for it. I, for example, still have a long way to go and it is amazing to me how much we learn about improving things every year. The first step toward better troll salmon quality it seems to me, Tom, and others, is recognizing that, while we are way ahead of most of the rest of the salmon harvest industry in handling our troll salmon, we still have problems and could do better.
I already talked about my frustration with watching trollers sling or throw salmon aboard rather than slipping or sliding them aboard. My good friend, who used to own a small processing plant, was completely disgusted with the quality of troll caught dressed coho that he bought and tried to turn into quality fillets.
I am also pretty disgusted with watching guys deliver brailer bags of dressed fish, lightly spray the bag off, and then put it back in the hold ready for ice and fish. Brailer bags need to be thoroughly cleaned, rinsed in a bleach solution, rinsed again, dried off, and then eventually put back into use holding dressed fish. If you are slushing dressed salmon I recommend at least a complete backup set to rotate based on over 20 seasons of slushing salmon. I have room for 11 bags of slushed salmon in my holds. I carry 33 brailer bags. I was guilty of not thoroughly cleaning my brailer bags for years. It was only when I read about the bacteria load these bags can carry and transmit to dressed salmon that I rethought my brailer bag cleaning and re-use system.
I don't even want to talk about the task of cleaning and disinfecting slush bags and the need to also rotate those. I suspect there are problems but since I don't use that system I don't know the details of making sure they are cleaned and disinfected every trip.
Tomorrow we tear my hayrack and gurdies off and start the process of rebuilding my back deck to make it more efficient, more quality oriented, and ergonomic. I will send pictures when it is done.
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
I'm a day tripper with my little boat, meaning I sell what I catch everyday, so I haven't had to worry about fish that have been sat on for to long. however, by selling every day I wind up seeing a lot of other guys deliveries, and let's just say I would not have liked to put a tag with my name on it on to some of their fish, especially cohos. I do think that week long deliveries are ridiculous. I wouldn't know about what it's like to deliver or ship fish to the Seafood Producers Co-op though, apparently handtrollers aren't good enough to buy fish from over at the club.
The main thing to consider is this, an individual tagging program isn't going to hurt anyone, and the guilt of attaching their name to stinky fish has got to make at least some of the guys who cut corners rethink things. My hope is that beyond exposing the slobs, tags might actually help identify some of our fish as premium, and make them a sought after commodity.
The fleet should always be looking for, and finding new ways to improve quality, the day you let your self stagnate into thinking that how we do things is good enough, is the day you start falling behind other industries who are trying harder. Laugh at this if you want to, but even though troll caught fish are light years ahead of gillnet fish, gillnet fish isn't what it used to be either. If you don't believe it, go see what Copper river gillnet fish sells for this next summer, and take notice of what their permit values are doing as a direct result. If your going to set the bar, you better keep jumping.
The main thing to consider is this, an individual tagging program isn't going to hurt anyone, and the guilt of attaching their name to stinky fish has got to make at least some of the guys who cut corners rethink things. My hope is that beyond exposing the slobs, tags might actually help identify some of our fish as premium, and make them a sought after commodity.
The fleet should always be looking for, and finding new ways to improve quality, the day you let your self stagnate into thinking that how we do things is good enough, is the day you start falling behind other industries who are trying harder. Laugh at this if you want to, but even though troll caught fish are light years ahead of gillnet fish, gillnet fish isn't what it used to be either. If you don't believe it, go see what Copper river gillnet fish sells for this next summer, and take notice of what their permit values are doing as a direct result. If your going to set the bar, you better keep jumping.
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
Of course, if you really want to improve quality...an IVQ is probably the way to go...so there is no concern about catching fish quickly...and missing out on a few if you go in to deliver. But, this is not a particularly appealing system for many as it takes away the competitiveness aspect of the industry and the "highliners" do not benefit. We started that on the North Coast in BC a few years ago...and boats could choose to go in the "quota" fishery or the "derby" fishery. To make it easy, if the overall quota would have worked out to 100 kings per boat, then that is what the quota guys were allowed. If a boat chose "derby" then the total number of boats, let's say 50 boats chose "derby", would have the opportunity to catch their 5000 kings as fast as they could...as in the past. Of course, some would come out with more than the 100 they would have gotten choosng "quota" and some would come out with less. And, since it was mainly the highliners who chose "derby" they were competing against the other "highliners" for their piece of the pie! Eventually, it came down to 2 boats choosing "derby" a few years ago and, if I remember correctly, the quota per boat was 580 so the quota to be shared between the two boats was 960......and one of the true highliners had 800 and the other guy 160...that was the last year of the "derby" fishery....hard to have a "derby" if there is only one boat in it!
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spike christopher
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Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
Not a bad idea. Let me state what happened and why it might not work. This past season I started to use the catheter to clean the kings, it did the job so well I used it on the silvers. I was very proud as to the out come. While selling my fish at BFF I observed some of the other loads coming in which were not near as good. I made an appointment with Doug the manager and explained my process as follows. Hit them in the head while in the water, bleed them, clean the load you pulled from the four lines before pulling again. Use the catheter method, put the fish in a slash tank until the body cools down and then ice, making sure all blood is out of the neck and back. I then asked if he would be willing to pay five cents a pound for this very nice product. You have guessed by now that he said no and of course gave several reasons why not. The bottom line being it would be a big problem with all the fisherman wanting it if it got out I was getting more for my fish. Anyway I didn't buy it but that and a dollar will buy you a cup of coffee. I still clean all my fish with the catheter knowing that in the long run it will benefit all of us, plus it just looks so nice. I know the highliners that catch hugh numbers all the time don't have time to spend the extra 15 to 20 seconds with the catheter, but I never have to worry about that. At the dock they know who's fish is quality, it is the at the tender that they get mixed. I fish alone so I know the extra work involved the catheter and consider it worth it.
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
Wow,
Really good posts about quality here. Lets just put it out there right now. There is no reason to compromise quality for production if you plan for it. I, and my boys, may have caught, cleaned, and handled more dressed coho salmon in one day than any other living troller (852, 812 coho, 40 chum.) If you know a better one day score I would love to hear about it. Those fish were handled just fine by the standards of those days. (We didn't know about the catheter method of flushing veins.)
I have caught and handled 200 coho day after day single handed, or with my mother, while negotiating the kelp and tide rips at North Pass. I have fished around a super troller, perhaps the best in the fleet (I call him the wizard) and watched him handle large quantities of salmon day after day with and without crew. With a commitment to quality your production does not have to suffer.
I also have to admit to making lots of mistakes over the years regarding quality. Hydraulic hoses with joints that got hot in the landing checker and cooked some flesh one trip. Too much slush in rough weather scaling early coho. Learning to put all the noses the same way in the brailer bags to prevent scaling. Not watching an experienced deckhand close enough on a July 1 opening and ending up with a bunch of gashes in a bunch of Chinook. Overloading Chinook into brailer bags the first day of an opening so that they didn't look so good when delivered four days later. Over scraping the backbone. And on and on.
The tough thing now is dealing with my diminishing capacity to put in the long hours, to handle gear and fish with the speed and efficiency I once could. I have compensated by hiring good help but Sarah and I have also had to reduce our production on the big days because we are just too old. Nevertheless we are still producing excellent quality at a pretty good rate when the bite is on because we are set up and have planned for maintaining quality even in high production.
I agree with the post about gillnetters improving quality. I had a chance to visit with Bill Webber at the Young Fisherman's Summit a couple of years ago and was impressed with his commitment to quality. We learned lots over a couple of days. It was interesting to observe my son and Bill, both aluminum fabricators, gravitate to each other and talk about fish handling and cooling systems.
I will post something about IVQ on the next post.
Really good posts about quality here. Lets just put it out there right now. There is no reason to compromise quality for production if you plan for it. I, and my boys, may have caught, cleaned, and handled more dressed coho salmon in one day than any other living troller (852, 812 coho, 40 chum.) If you know a better one day score I would love to hear about it. Those fish were handled just fine by the standards of those days. (We didn't know about the catheter method of flushing veins.)
I have caught and handled 200 coho day after day single handed, or with my mother, while negotiating the kelp and tide rips at North Pass. I have fished around a super troller, perhaps the best in the fleet (I call him the wizard) and watched him handle large quantities of salmon day after day with and without crew. With a commitment to quality your production does not have to suffer.
I also have to admit to making lots of mistakes over the years regarding quality. Hydraulic hoses with joints that got hot in the landing checker and cooked some flesh one trip. Too much slush in rough weather scaling early coho. Learning to put all the noses the same way in the brailer bags to prevent scaling. Not watching an experienced deckhand close enough on a July 1 opening and ending up with a bunch of gashes in a bunch of Chinook. Overloading Chinook into brailer bags the first day of an opening so that they didn't look so good when delivered four days later. Over scraping the backbone. And on and on.
The tough thing now is dealing with my diminishing capacity to put in the long hours, to handle gear and fish with the speed and efficiency I once could. I have compensated by hiring good help but Sarah and I have also had to reduce our production on the big days because we are just too old. Nevertheless we are still producing excellent quality at a pretty good rate when the bite is on because we are set up and have planned for maintaining quality even in high production.
I agree with the post about gillnetters improving quality. I had a chance to visit with Bill Webber at the Young Fisherman's Summit a couple of years ago and was impressed with his commitment to quality. We learned lots over a couple of days. It was interesting to observe my son and Bill, both aluminum fabricators, gravitate to each other and talk about fish handling and cooling systems.
I will post something about IVQ on the next post.
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
Here is my problem with Individual Fishing or Vessel Quotas.
1. Because there are so many trollers/handtrollers in the Alaska fishery and most of them fish only part time while some of us troll basically full time there is a great deal of difference in production. Equal division of the fish would not represent the fishery as it exists. Some of us are struggling along at 500-1,000 kings or so a year while others are really happy to catch 200 or so in the July opening. There is just no way someone fishing part time in the summer should get as many kings as the guys fishing from January to December.
2. There is a huge difference in production in July depending on the size of your boat and where you fish. While I used to be jubilant if I averaged 50 kings per day in a July opening I know trollers who are really disappointed if they average less than 100/day in July. I should not be given an equal share with the guys who have been fishing the Fairweather Grounds for years. (Recently I am jubilant if I catch 50 kings in a day in a season.)
3. An IFQ system rewards past production and initiative at the expense of future labor, initiative, and innovation. It puts the emphasis on capital and the past rather than on the future and potential. It actually retards investment in and development of new ideas because the capital is gobbled up compensating the past performers. It tends to concentrate the investment because capital attracts more capital. When what we want in our fisheries is investment in new ideas and diverse ideas.
4. While I would love to be compensated for my past production of Chinook and Chums and would have a nice retirement package the money my son or other young people would have to spend to buy me out would significantly reduce the capital they would have to spend on new ideas, on quality, on marketing, and good labor. If they could afford to buy me out. More likely someone with capital to leverage from existing IFQ programs or from the new troll IFQ program would be able to bid more for my shares.
5. I think it is wonderful that my friends in the longline fisheries actually got something worthwhile out of the IFQ system for blackcod and halibut. But, I don't think it is a good model for the future or our troll fisheries. And I look at my friends who bought significant amounts of halibut a few years ago. Even if they are surviving, and some aren't, they don't have any extra capital now to invest in new technologies or new opportunities. They are working like mad to pay off a debt to people who have retired.
So, while I just spent yesterday on my boat going over plans to upgrade my hayrack/gurdie and landing checker/cleaning system to improve quality and ergonomics some of my longline friends are trying to figure out how to reduce crew costs this coming season.
6. The Canadian system is working so well that my son and his friend just bought two of their freezer trollers to put to work in Alaska next summer. The good ideas of the Canadians past are being exported to the young people here.
1. Because there are so many trollers/handtrollers in the Alaska fishery and most of them fish only part time while some of us troll basically full time there is a great deal of difference in production. Equal division of the fish would not represent the fishery as it exists. Some of us are struggling along at 500-1,000 kings or so a year while others are really happy to catch 200 or so in the July opening. There is just no way someone fishing part time in the summer should get as many kings as the guys fishing from January to December.
2. There is a huge difference in production in July depending on the size of your boat and where you fish. While I used to be jubilant if I averaged 50 kings per day in a July opening I know trollers who are really disappointed if they average less than 100/day in July. I should not be given an equal share with the guys who have been fishing the Fairweather Grounds for years. (Recently I am jubilant if I catch 50 kings in a day in a season.)
3. An IFQ system rewards past production and initiative at the expense of future labor, initiative, and innovation. It puts the emphasis on capital and the past rather than on the future and potential. It actually retards investment in and development of new ideas because the capital is gobbled up compensating the past performers. It tends to concentrate the investment because capital attracts more capital. When what we want in our fisheries is investment in new ideas and diverse ideas.
4. While I would love to be compensated for my past production of Chinook and Chums and would have a nice retirement package the money my son or other young people would have to spend to buy me out would significantly reduce the capital they would have to spend on new ideas, on quality, on marketing, and good labor. If they could afford to buy me out. More likely someone with capital to leverage from existing IFQ programs or from the new troll IFQ program would be able to bid more for my shares.
5. I think it is wonderful that my friends in the longline fisheries actually got something worthwhile out of the IFQ system for blackcod and halibut. But, I don't think it is a good model for the future or our troll fisheries. And I look at my friends who bought significant amounts of halibut a few years ago. Even if they are surviving, and some aren't, they don't have any extra capital now to invest in new technologies or new opportunities. They are working like mad to pay off a debt to people who have retired.
So, while I just spent yesterday on my boat going over plans to upgrade my hayrack/gurdie and landing checker/cleaning system to improve quality and ergonomics some of my longline friends are trying to figure out how to reduce crew costs this coming season.
6. The Canadian system is working so well that my son and his friend just bought two of their freezer trollers to put to work in Alaska next summer. The good ideas of the Canadians past are being exported to the young people here.
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
Some really good points re IVQ's , Salty. I am not suggesting there are not problems with them...nor am I suggesting I even agree with them....but they certainly can lead to better quality fish as you do not have to worry about catching as many as you can in one day....just fish an extra day longer in the season to complete your quota. As well, of course, putting up with bad weather is not necessary either...so there are some plusses. However, the negatives you point out are definitely big negatives! In Canada, part of the problem...a major part in my mind...with the demise of the troll fleet, has been the policy of DFO which puts the sports fleet ahead of the troll fleet when it comes to the taking of Kings and cohos! As in Alaska, the sports fighing industry has exploded...at the expense of the troll fleet. There are, of course, other problems....fish farms. destruction of habitat etc. There are still decent runs of springs and cohos for the trollers...they are just not being given much time to fish...in fact, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, there has been one opening, for 4 days or so, in the last10 years...during July and August..(none of which allowed the taking of coho)...,.though they do give King openings all year round...which is not really great as the weather on the outside is not that wonderful in November to March...and there is very little inside fishing available(unlike Alaska)...but it looks like they are providing opportunities.! In reality, only the very small number of fishermen who live in places like Ucluelet, Tofino, Zeballos, Kyuquot or Quatsino...actually participate...when weather permits. I do know, however, that DFO prefers the quota system as it makes their job easier!
Hope your son and his friend enjoy the boats...which ones did they purchase? (maybe send me a Private message if you prefer)
Hope your son and his friend enjoy the boats...which ones did they purchase? (maybe send me a Private message if you prefer)
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
Hotspot,
Both of them read these posts once in a while and they will respond if they want to. I have to admit to being a bit jealous at the ambition of the young guys in my group. Just four years ago we were all in dog patch and I had the biggest boat in the group. Now, the four youngest guys in my code group all have freezer trollers while I am trying to figure out how to improve quality for iced fish when I will not get paid any more for them.
One of the guys was over here yesterday and he asked, "Why don't they just pay us more for every fish we deliver before the fourth day and less for every one older than 100 hours?" Good question.
I have read about the disastrous fisheries policies in BC. It seemed like all the years I was growing up and starting my fishing career the Canadians were always way ahead of us in technology, management, and gear. Now it seems like their troll fishery is dying. I am working like mad to keep that from happening here but I am worried.
I hear you about going fishing when you want. My Norwegian relatives in Petersburg just love it that they can wait till the wind blows to go set gear.
Both of them read these posts once in a while and they will respond if they want to. I have to admit to being a bit jealous at the ambition of the young guys in my group. Just four years ago we were all in dog patch and I had the biggest boat in the group. Now, the four youngest guys in my code group all have freezer trollers while I am trying to figure out how to improve quality for iced fish when I will not get paid any more for them.
One of the guys was over here yesterday and he asked, "Why don't they just pay us more for every fish we deliver before the fourth day and less for every one older than 100 hours?" Good question.
I have read about the disastrous fisheries policies in BC. It seemed like all the years I was growing up and starting my fishing career the Canadians were always way ahead of us in technology, management, and gear. Now it seems like their troll fishery is dying. I am working like mad to keep that from happening here but I am worried.
I hear you about going fishing when you want. My Norwegian relatives in Petersburg just love it that they can wait till the wind blows to go set gear.
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
One of the problems with IVQ's is that the target species is a lot different from longlining. Halibut guys have from March 15th, to November 15th to catch their quota. So, while an IVQ may work on feeder kings, the summer king openers, and coho fisheries, which is really where quality needs the most improvement, don't really leave a lot of time for gathering up your share. You would have to do all your fishing in the busiest 2 months of summer, around the weather and other guys packed into the same time frame, and you would likely be right back where you started.
Besides that, to me, it's the spirit of competition that makes us who we are. Why not just have a couple of factory boats go out and catch and process all the fish, then split the catch evenly amongst the fleet, like shares in a company? You'd be saving fuel, and the lack of competition would make it much easier, but at what point do you cease being fisherman, and turn into a bunch of lazy shareholders in another socialist conglomeration?
When I put my head on my pillow at night, it's the dream that tomorrow could be the big one, that keeps me going. Being restricted to 200 lbs. a day, or restricted in any other fashion, would make trolling just another job.
Besides that, to me, it's the spirit of competition that makes us who we are. Why not just have a couple of factory boats go out and catch and process all the fish, then split the catch evenly amongst the fleet, like shares in a company? You'd be saving fuel, and the lack of competition would make it much easier, but at what point do you cease being fisherman, and turn into a bunch of lazy shareholders in another socialist conglomeration?
When I put my head on my pillow at night, it's the dream that tomorrow could be the big one, that keeps me going. Being restricted to 200 lbs. a day, or restricted in any other fashion, would make trolling just another job.
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
Totally, agree Yak....dreaming of the horde of fish you are about to catch the next day is always nice....and having it happen is even better! That is certainly one of the nicer things about trolling. On the other hand, listening to the gale as you fall asleep and thinking there is no point in trying to fish tomorrow due to weather....would not be as disconcerting if you knew you would still get your share by fishing a little longer in the season....and, as I said, quality should also improve. In BC, both of these options are available to trollers.....if you have a north coast license, then the Kings are divvied up via individual quota while the cohos are caught via a "derby" fishery within an overall fleet quota.....while on the west coast of vancouver Island, the Kings are caught via openings which occur most months with a certain part of the overall King quota available for the fleet as a whole to focus on...catch as many as can. But, as I mentioned, due to the emphasis on the sport fleet, there has only been one opening in July/August in the last 10 years. So, if you own both of these licenses, as a few do, you can participate in both fisheries. If I had my choice, I would stick with the overall quota fishery as you have now....seems a little fairer...but, as I said before, IVQ's can certainly improve overall quality, they do take the stress out of fishing....especially if you suffer a breakdown, and they do make it easier for the fishery managers. Enjoy what you have! (Oh, and those Norwegian relatives of Salty's in Petersburg may be related to me!)
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
My dad came over from Norway to join my grandfather in Tacoma in the early 20's. Dad married an Iowa girl. Her family came over 17 generations ago with the pilgrims. So, like most Americans I am a combination. But, four generations have been fishing in Alaska now.
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
My Dad, who left this earth many years ago to seek out other fishing spots, came over to Canada from Norway in the late 20's and trolled, longlined, seined and did some mid-water trawling. His brother, obviously my uncle, followed him over a little while later and mostly halibut fished in the Bering Sea. My mother, who was born in Canada, of English parents, is still with us, thank goodness, and is right with it even though she is turning 90 this year. I am thankful for my Norwegian blood.....has kept the saltwater in my veins though I mainly just join the sports fishing crowd nowadays....even though my interest in salmon trolling still remains (though it never was not my real profession....school teaching was though I am now retired from that) and I would love to win a lottery so I could get back in and not really have to worry about making much money out of it. It certainly is an enjoyable occupation...as you well know!
Snuk a da Norske? (sp?)
Snuk a da Norske? (sp?)
Re: Individual Fisherman Identification
No snuke da Norsk. Only takfomaten. Had to say that after every meal my mother cooked before we could get up and leave the table.