vol. 10, no.5, october 1981 - Memorial University of Newfoundland

they have been fully paid off, and it would not be a
great economic hardship for the companies to scrap
them. Very few of them come within our 200-mile limit
anymore. Our Association's policy is that the
foreigners are welcome to come in after species such
as silver hake that we do not catch, but otherwise, the
Canadian industry should process its own fish as much
as possible. We object to trading fish for market access
in Europe."
Bill Wells can appreciate the consternation of Irish
fishermen, but is hoping their situation can be improved
without destroying Canada's position in the
European fish market.
"They're really in a mess over there," he says, "with
quotas being over-fished and prices flying up and
down . So many nations, see, are fishing the same
waters and the EEC has been unable to formulate a
common fisheries policy to keep things organized.
From our point of view , we now seu about 80% of our
fish in the United States, but would Uke to diversify and
sell more in Europe. If we stopped what little remains
of the EEC freezer-trawler fishery on the Grand
Banks, there might be some short-term marketing
difficulties in Europe, but we would rather just
weather that out instead of giving away our fishing
rights. Eventually, our price will look good to them,
even if there is a heavier tariff put on fish coming from
cutstde the EEC . Because of our devalued dollar and
the fact that we are gelling our fuel for less than world
prices, Canadian fish on the European market is a
legitimate bargain."
Getting back to Ireland, it seems that this marketing
problem has a long history. In the late 17705, Arthur
Young wrote in his Tour of Ireland about the situation
with herring: " The Scotch have a bounty per barrel on
expo rtation, which they draw on sending them to
Ireland , by which means they are enabled with
assistance of a higher bounty on their vessels, to undersellthe
Irish fishe ry in their own markets, while the
Ir ish me rchants are prec luded from exporting eit her to
Scotl an d or England. This is a very hard case, and
cfOrtainly may be said to be one of the oppressions on
trade in Ireland, which a legislature acting on liberal
and enlarged principles ought to repeal."
Ireland today has roughly 3500 full-time and 5400
part-ti me fishermen, which means that in each
categor y, the nalion employs about a third as many
fishermen as Newfoundland, even though Ireland's
population is more than six limes that of Newfoundland.
Then there are about 1700plant workers spread
throughout some 30 plants. With agriculture being
Ireland's main industry, the " emer ald isle" knows
little of problems with too many people trying to get
into the fishery, except in a few .reas such as the
scallop and oyster fisheries where stocks are being
strictly conserved.
A tot.l of 145,000metric tons of fish was landed by the
Ir ish fleet in 1980, for a value of 35.6 Irish punts, or
rough ly $18 million Canadian. The total catch has
almost doubled in the past five years. A look at landings
for the three years 1977to 1979shows herring and
mack er el to be the main species caught, together
acco unti ng for roughly 60% of the total weight, but only
35% of the va lue. Shellfi sh, including prawns, mussels,
crabs, lobste rs and othe r species, account for only
about 12% by weight , but aroun d 28% by value. Among
demersal (bottom-feeding) species the most important
is whiting, with abo ut 8000tons caught each year, while
the catch of cod ran ks second, around 5000 tons per
yea r .
DECKS AWASH-43
Wheelhouse of the tar-teet 'Western Viking', one 01 tne
Irish uenertes' big new trawler-seiners that can fish up 10
100 miles offshore with mrcweter trawls 33 by 36 fat homs
in size , and seins up to 31SIathoms long. John Bach, the
veeeets' skipper is shown checking some 01 the electronic
gear . Though a Dane by birth, he has been fishing
tram Killybegs for 10 years and is now Director of Ihe
local Western Seaboard Fishing Co. ltd. "This boat has
been fishing November 1980," Bach explains, " and we
can go out Ipr three days at a time , but olten the boat is
filled much sooner. In J anuary 1981once, we filled her In
two hours with one set of th e trawl that brought in 430
metric tons !"
Since 19S2, the Irish government has had an
organinlion devoted to improving the fishery in terms
of facilities, methods. training, marketing. and investment.
This Irish Sea Fisheries Board em ploys
about ISOpeople and is usually referr-ed to by its Iris h
name, An Bard lascalgh Mhara, or B.LM . for short. To
get an overview of the Irish llshery, we spoke to offici.lsof
B.LM. in Dublin and Killybegs.
"T he first thi ng to appreciate 15that the fishery here
has traditio na lly been an inshore one," explains Sea n
F ree man, ass istant public relations manager in
Dubli n.
"There are the curraughs (light canvas-and-pitchcovered
craft resembling a cross between a punt and a
canoe), the as-rooters. and the half-deckers with out ­
board engines. These fish a season that is no more than
eight months long. and use a variety of gear. including
lobster pots , longlines. and drift nets . In the past five or
six years, gillnets have also been introduced and
caught on well." Newfoundlanders m.y be unfamiliar
..r