Weathering the fall

By Shawn Hayward

FOR THE SOU’WESTER

Cluney Goodyear of Lumsden, N.L. said last year was the perfect situation. Fishermen like him could fish for a couple weeks in the summer and finish up in the fall.

But this year the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) made commercial fishermen choose between a two-week fishery in the summer, or a four-week season in the fall beginning Sept. 8 and ending Oct. 4

The zone Lumsden belongs in, 3K, voted for a fall fishery, which is fine for fishermen in the bays, according to Goodyear, but isn't good for those around his area.

"We're right next to the open sea here," he said. "There's no shelter. There's no bays. There's nothing on the northeast coast to protect anybody. You're right open to the elements here."

The coastline from Cape Freels to Ladle Cove is on the headland, which is more exposed to the harsh fall weather than waters in sheltered bays. Goodyear said even though fishermen in his area were against a fall fishery, they got out voted by those from the bays, where concerns about the fall weather aren't as strong.

Last year Goodyear caught part of his quota in July and the rest in September. But this year he isn't sure if he'll get enough good weather days to get all his fish.

"Now we have to catch it all in September, and it's going to be tough to do, because we have to battle with weather this time of year. What you're going to see is a lot of fish not caught, and a lot of dollars that people needed, they're not going to get," he said.

Goodyear said fall fishing is not only difficult, but dangerous in his area.

Paul Goodyear also fishes out of Lumsden. He said he just has to walk to the wharf to see the effects of the new policy.

"I just went on the point this morning and there's fishermen waiting to get out but the northerly winds on this coast are bad winds. They'll have it harder getting their cod and it's more dangerous," he said on Sept. 24.

Paul Goodyear said it's only going to limit the amount of fish they can catch, but increase costs, because the fishermen will have to return home whenever the weather gets bad, and the more travel they do to and from the wharf the more fuel they burn, a problem that is compounded by the high price of gasoline.

According to the fisherman, the Lumsden area was included in the Bonavista Bay zone last year, which had an earlier starting date. This year however, both zones started at the same time, so that wasn't an option.

A representative for DFO said many fishermen prefer a late fishery because the cold water improves the quality of the fish. She would not say why the department made the fishermen choose either a summer or fall fishery.

Cluney Goodyear said quality doesn't matter if they can't get out on the water enough to make their quota.

"It might be a better quality fish, but you got to go further to catch fish, and you have to battle the weather to catch it, so you're going to be at sea for longer periods of time, whereas in July the fish were closer to land," he said.

The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) conducted the vote. Bill Broderick, inshore director of FFAW, said DFO's decision might be a cost-saving measure. The longer the season is open, the more time they have to employ fisheries officers to make sure no one is over fishing.

Broderick said he figured the area would have objections to the policy change, being one of the few places in Newfoundland with little coastal shelter.

"I know the fishermen in the area, and I predicted when this rule came in that was the only area we really had to watch," he said. "I was not surprised to hear some people complain afterwards. They're right. Fishing out of Lumsden in September is not the same as fishing out of Summerford. There's no doubt about that."

There are only four or five communities along that stretch of coastline, which Broderick said is typically not enough to justify creating a new zone.

"That's an issue that will have to be debated and whether in future you could have another division, I don't know, the minister may be open to that," he said.

The idea makes sense to Cluney Goodyear. He said he just wants to be able to fish at the time that's best around his stretch of coastline.

"I've been fishing for 26 years," he said. "Why can't they let me go catch it when the time is right and the fish is there, rather than sending me out this time of year in small vessels when it's not even fit to be on the ocean?"

(Shawn Hayward is a journalist with Transcontinental Media’s Beacon newspaper, which is a contributor to the Sou’Wester.)