For about 75 kilometres of the lower Fraser River in Canada the gillnet boats were drifting their nets in every piece of water where depth and currents would allow. For tugs and non-fishing craft their nets presented a slalom of obstacles to the usually easy passage up and down the river.
For ships with less manoeuvrability it was an even greater challenge. Following spectacular returns further up the coast in the Johnstone Straits seine fishery, the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans had declared 32-hour opening for the Fraser River gillnet fleet. It was like old times for a fleet that was beginning to think itself extinct. The returns of sockeye salmon to the Fraser in recent years had been so bad that a government appointed commission had been convened to identify the causes.
Now the estimated return of 25 million Fraser sockeye has more than doubled the optimistic pre-season forecast. It is being heralded as the best return in the past 100 years since a slide caused by railway construction blocked the 1913 return at Hells Gate in the Fraser Canyon. As in all fisheries with dramatic upswings in catch, the processing capacity is stretched to the maximum.
Corporate concentration brought on by fleet reduction plans and the privatisation of licenses has reduced the number of fishing companies and processors. Fortunately both the Canadian Fishing Company and Ocean Fisheries have maintained their processing capacity on the north coast at Prince Rupert in order to process salmon brought in from southeast Alaska. These canning lines have now been put to full use coping with the flood of fish. At the same time additional ice for the fishing boats is being brought south on the two day run from Prince Rupert to Vancouver and the Fraser River.
With collector boats anchored out in the river off the former fishing community of Steveston it was like old times except that the shore was no longer crowded with cannery workers. Their places, in the much upgraded bars and restaurants, had been taken by the affluent towns people from the houses and condos that had been built on land sold to developers by companies whose canneries and worker housing had once lined this piece of the Fraser River within commuting distance of downtown Vancouver.
Another difference from 20 years ago was noted in the red and white Canadian Fishing company flags that flew from the masts of all three collector boats, including that from Ocean Fisheries.
As the sun set on the first seven hours of the 32 hour opening a few boats were coming in to deliver catches that seemed to average about 500 fish per boat. One boat was making a quick change of net rather than repair the holes torn by driftwood and perhaps seals. Another was doing a quick engine repair. But mostly the little boats that average about 10.6 metres in length seemed to be clearing their holds in anticipation of a heavy night's fishing.
At the same time a deep-sea ship, the 'Star Istind', was heading down river and out to sea from the Fraser Surrey docks. This is the same ship that exactly two years earlier had foiled an attempt at capture by pirates in small boats off the coast of Somalia. If it was the same captain aboard one couldn't help but wonder if he was experiencing a little déjà vu as this ship was surrounded once again by small boats.
The Fraser River pilot was blowing repeated long blasts on the ship's horn in an attempt to get the fishermen, whose nets were strung from river bank to river bank, to pause in their fevered harvest to make passage for the ship. Like the fishermen pirates of Somalia these Canadian fishermen have lost much in recent years but, unlike the Somalis, they were there to catch sockeye, not ships.
Alan Haig-Brown
