Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-08-27, Page 291 Times Advocate, August 27, 1986 Page 17A A day in the life of a Grecut Lakes fisherman By Connie Keyser It never really was a difficult deci- sion to make. Even when he moved away from home atter high school, and spent five years in the navy, he didn't give up the water. Joe Green returned to his home and his life - a fourth generation Great Lakes fisher- man, operating out of Grand Bend. "When I started fishing with my dad, he had a small fishing tug, about 35 foot. Now the L&R is a 74 foot. all 14" steel construction 100 ton vessel with the latest in technical equip- ment," explains Green. One of the hard-working survivors over the last few years of difficulties for fishermen, Green's boat provides a decent living for five families. His present staff, who all happen to live in the Exeter area, create an easy, confident work atmosphere of mutual respect and team spirit. Rick Hall has worked almost five years with Green. Scott Green, a cousin of the owner, decided six years ago that this was better than being a butcher, a profes- sion he was training in. "1 can make more in nine months of work here than being a butcher. This way, on the boat it's like working for yourself," commented Scott enthusiastically. He was referring to the arrangement Joe Green offers his workers, that they are paid on a percentage of each day's catch. That way they feel a sense of partnership in the business. Don Wallace came to Green's boat two years ago after many years of fishing on Lake Erie. The fishing in- dustry on that lake is practically wiped out. The newcomer to the group is John Rempel, with a year of service. The day begins about 7:00 a.m. as the crew load boxes and check equip- ment before leaving the dock. The seagulls, perched on top of the fishhouse, swoop lazily down to take a free cruise for the morning and lunch on Lake Huron. It's about 25 miles to the plotted net location, so as soon as each man has established his work station and prepared the necessary gear, without a word, without a signal, the men • . arid i 1 ` /f SERIOUS BUSINESS — Heavy nylon gloves and a hook are needed to ree t e • ay's catc rom t e nets. Don Wallace (left) holds tight, Rick Hall keeps his net feeding through and Scott Green tosses his lot into the waiting baskets. Team work is essential on Joe Green's boat. s, HON. JACK RIDDELL Minister of Agriculture More hospital beds Communities in Southwestern, West Central and Northern Ontario will receive more hospital beds as a result of recent announcements by Health Minister Murray Elston. In Southwestern Ontario, while visiting London, St. Thomas and Sar- nia, Health Minister Elston announc- ed 328 new chronic care and 37 new acute care beds for the Southwestern region. Funding for the region, in- cluding additional funding for the London cancer clinic, will total $104.6 million. The Southwestern region in - Dashwood United Church Fuel Tender Sealed tenders clearly mark- ed as to contents will be ac- cepted by the undersigned until 12 noon September 5, 1986 for furnace fuel. Ap- proximately 18,000 litres per year. All discounts to be firm for a two year period from Oc- tober 1, 1986 to September 30, 1988. Tender forms available or for more information contact Bernice Boyle, 37-3212 or Bill Weber, 237-N11. Lowest or any tender not necessarily accepted. DASHWOOD UNITED CHURCH TRUSTEES c/o Bill Weber R.R. 3, Dashwood, Ont. NOM 1NO act 090EEingi Announces grants eludes the district health councils of Middlesex, Oxford, Perth, Essex, Grey, Bruce, Huron, Elgin, Kent and Lambton. All of these projects are part of the $850 million, 4,400 bed province -wide expansion promised in, the May 13 budget. Most construction should begin within five years. "The province -wide capital allocation for new hospital beds is the largest in the history of Ontario," Mr. Elston said. "Our goal is to see that all Ontarians have the best possible health care in- to the 21th century." Bill 51 goes to commttee Legislation to reform Ontario's system of rent review, Bill 51, went before the Resources Development Committee at Queen's Park beginn- ing August 19. Housing Minister Alvin Curling was the first to address the committee and answered questions on Bill 51, the Residential Rent Regulations Act. The new Bill is significant in that it provides the tenants of Ontario with real and universal protection from unfair rent increases, it provides for then revitalization of rental housing con- truction in this province and creates a system of rent review that is fair and equitable to all. Bill 51, contains seven major features: (1) The establishment of an annual rent review guideline based on an inflation index, (2) a costs -no - longer -borne procedure for some financing and capital costs, (3) the establishment of a comprehensive province -wide rent registry, (4) a pro- vision for the elimination of economic loss on post -1975 buildings to ensure the viability of those properties (5) the provision of a revised form of hardship relief for owners of pre -1976 buildings, (6) the establishment of the Residential Rental Standards Board to develop provincial property stan- dards, and (7) the establishment of a new streamlined rent review process. From August 26 to 28 and from September 3 to 18, there will be public hearings in Toronto, London, Wind- sor, Thunder Bay, Kingston and Ot- tawa to hear concerns and answer questions from citizens across the province about the legislation. sports grants Ontario athletes will have the op- portunity to participate in provincial, national and international games through grants announced by Tourism and Recreation Minister John Eakins. Sports governing bodies GASOLINE AND DiESEL TENDERS Sealed tenders, clearly marked as to contents will be received by the undersigned until 5 p.m., Friday September 5, 1986 for the supply of gasoline and/or diesel fuel for the calendar year 1986. 1. Diesel (bulk) including supply of tank, approximately 33,000 litres. '2. Gasoline (including leaded and unleaded), approximately 17,000 litres. 3. Gasoline (in bulk) including supply of tank, approximately 3,600 litres. (cemetery) ' Tenders should give details of how 24 hour service can be provided. Separate tenders may be submitted for each item category above. Lowest or any tender not necessarily accepted. .Submit to: Elizabeth Bell, CMO. Clerk -Treasurer 406 Main St., South Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S0 • in Ontario will recieve $1.8 million in Wintario grants Mr. Eakins announc- ed. The funds will also go to sports groups to allow them to host cham- pionships. 'These grants will help our Ontario athletes to compete at various levels and will give them the chance to meet and become friends with other athletes from the Province, the country and from around the world," Mr. Eakins said. The grants will allow Ontario swim- mers to attend events such as the Monaco International Swimming Competition and the U.S. Open Swim- ming Championships in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Ontario sailors will attend the America's Cup in Australia and will host the World Wayfares Cham- pionship at Geneva Park, Ontario. In addition, the Ontario Special Olym- pics will benefit from this funding. Athletes from all over Ontario will compete in the National Summer Games in Calgary. Stabilization Stabilization for oats, canola winter and spring canola and oats have been included for the first time in the In- come Stabilization Program for 1986, in an announcement I made last week as Minister of Agriculture and Food. The new commodities have been add- ed to the grain income stabilization program at the request of growers. Other commodities covered under the three-year program, which came into effect in 1985, are corn, soybeans, white beans, winter beans, winter wheat and barley. Final application date for the 1986 crop is October 1, 1986. Registration forms and brochures containing program details will be automatically mailed to those who were enrolled in the program in 1985. Producers are able to credit any fees deposited in 1985 against the fees payable for 1986. The form will show individual growers the amount of deposit in their account. Application forms and brochures for those not enrolled in 1985 will be available at the end of August from local ministry offices. I might also remind growers that the government's portion of the payout for the 1985 corn and soybean crop is scheduled to be mailed out in the last two week of August. The in- terim payment is $3.50 per tonne for corn and $9.00 per tonne for soybeans. ��)"Township of Usborne TENDERS for Snowplowing for 1986-87 Season Sealeil tenders clearly mark- ed ar to contents will be received by the undersigned until 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 2, 1986, for the rental of a 210 HP minimum, tandem truck with operators, equipped with one-way plow and wing. Specifications and tender forms which must be used are obtainable from the undersigned. lowest or any tender not necessarily accepted. John Batten Rd. Supt. RR 3, Exeter Ont. NOM 150 229-6363 crowd into the tiny wheel house kit- chen to take up the ongoing card game of hearts. This is the last chance they will have to sip a cup of coffee from the thermos or munch some breakfast before the real work beings. In the wheelhouse itself - a jam packed antiroom no more than four feet square - Joe Green sips a coffee and begins to check every detail that he needs to fish this beloved lake. The electronic apparatus is spread in front of him in an impressive 180 degree array. Within reach of his left hand is the new compass and automatic pilot switchbox. Directly below that is a remote control cable to enable him to stand on the stairs down closer to the action on deck and still control the rudder and the engine speed. Overhead are two different types of marine radios above the remote telephone. One radio is always tuned to the Coast Guard signals, because in an emergency, a fishing boat can often get to the scene of an accident faster than any other vessel and has enough winches etc. to execute just about any type of rescue. But this morning Joe's attention is on the chart in front of him and Loran C digital calculator that gives the co- ordinates to pinpoint where the nets were last laid. Off to the right is a 16" monitor screen which presents a fascinating, everchanging, colourful radar picture to discern the weather patterns, other boats, and the shoreline. One could practically operate the boat using these readings only. But as we come closer to the nets, Green turns his attention to the most remarkable piece of equipment, simply called a fish finder. Working on the principle of a sonar system similar to submarines, this monitor prints out in vivid bands of colour the depth and concentration of the schools of fish as they move about to feed in different locations deep below the sur- face. "Sure it's a very helpful piece of electronics but I still lay the nets where the fish are using years of ex- perience," Joe states with a knowing smile. A barely imperceptable slowing of the huge 380 horsepower diesel engine and the card game is abandoned as the men file out onto the deck to climb into green, yellow or red rubber overalls. Protecting their hands with heavy nylon knit green gloves, the deck suddenly explode into action, as metal tubs are lugged to the net winch on the left foredeck, and plastic boxes are lined up aft to receive the catch. Each man is fully trained to take up any of the three main functions and they do take turns rotating the jobs. By a seemingly unspoken agreement each goes to a defined work station with determined and comfortable co- operation. Excitement and anticipa- tion fill the air as the engine slows to a crawl beside the first marker buoy. The nets are reeled in on the winch and cord sorter laden with some fish but also an unwelcome burden of debris such as waterlogged trees up to four or five feet long, dead fish, chunks of rock from a reef on the bot- tom and brown masses of algae. Algae sometimes speckled the fish, matted the nets and painted the white buoys in dark brown slime. Part of the problem of this catch and the debris in the nets was an unusual current that caused the nets to be pushed over instead of floating upright strung along the bottom of the lake in about 90 feet of water. , These nets were laid three days previously about eight miles out and 15 miles south of the Bend and because the water is cold at this par- ticular location were not very full in the three day interval. Warmer water would mean harvesting more often. Each net, which has to constantly be replaced, is 50 yards long. Several are looped together, then laid in rows or Cromarty By MRS. ROBERT LAING Cromarty Presbyterian WMS met at the home of Mrs. Thos. Scott with Mrs. Charles Douglas presiding. Mrs. Ben Stoneman was in charge of the devotions based on trapsportation and communication as they relate to the scriptures. She pointed out how God established contact with man and how he has kept the message alive through the ages. Mrs. Jim Miller told of the experiences of two Indian women and led a discussion on them. Congratulations to John and Marion Wallace, former residents of this area, who celebrated their 50th wed- ding anniversary in the Mitchell Com- munity Centre Saturday night. Among the many relatives and friends who met to wish them a hap- py anniversary was Marion's mother, Mrs. Russell Scott (Grace) of Seaforth. Cromarty extends birthday wishes to Mrs. Scott who will celebrate her 94th birthday this week. The men's softball league are mak- ing plans to hold their playoffs on September 7 in Cromarty and Fullar- ton ball parks, and on September 4 at the Cromarty diamond only. Mr. and Mrs. T. L. Scott spent last weekend i8 the Lindsay area and at- tended a gathering of the Moore families; including a memorial ser- vice at the home cemetery. Bob and Ruth Laing attended the Highland (tames in Fergus last Satur- day and this weekend had their daughter, Margaret Allen, of Guelph, as their guest. .iennifer and Carrie Ann Lindner, Stratford are holidaying with their grandparents, Gordon and Eva Laing. - 4 Congratulations to Isobel Kerslake on the arrival of her fifth grandson. Proud parents are Barbara and Wayne Fronts. "ganged" between the marker buoys. As each metal tub is filled to the brim with laden nets, it is hooked and dragged to the back where the fish are slipped out of the net using a small hook in the right hand to ease the net as the fish is pulled free and tossed in a plastic bin. This is the real heavy work and the men labour with dilligence and con- centration. There is little conversa- tion - today it was about the best way to freeze and cook fish or scores of re- cent ball games. When enough nets are empty, Rick begins to feed them out again through the back of the boat using the bonnet shaped spindle to spread the ropes as they fall into the deep water. Meanwhile Joe has been keeping the tug moving forward at just the right pace and straight against the current to allow the two operations to go on at the same time. "The most difficult thing we have to contend with out here is the weather," Joe points out. Fishing from March until almost Christmas, rain, snow, bitter winds, hot summer haze, electrical storms, currents and rough weather all have to be endured to bring the catch in. An average day may net about 1,000 pounds. Overall close to three million pounds of fish are harvested in a year in the area from Goderich to Sarnia. The commercial crop is mostly whitefish, chub, lake trout and perch in the spring and fall. At the mention of those cohoe or chinook salmon and rainbow trout that the sports fishermen have in- troduced into the Great Lakes this or- dinarily peaceful, gentle Joe Green sees red with a quiet anger. The overnment in it's wisdom has im ed quotas on the commercial fishermen to such an extent that many have found it impossible to make a living at all. "Because. the sports fishermen have the money and the political clout, they have convinced the government that the stocks are depleted through overfishing. That's not true, but they want us off the Great Lakes, so we get blamed," Green fumes. "Figure it out. Those salmon and trout eat their weight in immature fish ( that would ordinari- ly produce eggs and replenish the stock) every day. The government funded hatcheries are stocking the lake with four million of these salmon per year that will eat tons of the small fish we catch. We only harvest the mature fish that are not going to lay eggs anymore. Now 1 ask you who should be on the quota'? What is real- ly depleting the fish in the lakes?" Green points out there were five ac- tive fisheries in Grand Bend in June. In early July it was down to four, last week three. Those boats shouldn't be tied up; it's the quota system. Then staff have to be laid off. As the L&R plied the waters towards Grand Bend the men regrouped around several central tubs to dress the fish ready for pack- ing. Reaching the Bend around 3:30 p.m. the team made sure everything was washed and ready for the next day. Weighing the fish and packing them in ice ready for shipping the men were satisfied with the days work. Canadians are not big fish eaters. Most of this catch went to Chicago, Brooklin or New York through a direct distributor._ EVERYONE PITCHES IN — Leaving the controls for a few minutes, owner of the L&R Joe Green drags a laden tub of fish and nets aft to be cleared by the rest of the crew. This is the real romance of being a Great Lakes fisherman. LUNCH FOR THE SEAGULLS -- After the fish are dressed and c ean- . ed by fisherman John Rempel the entrails ore fed to the seagulls and the beautiful fresh whitefish get shipped to the states. CLOSELY WATCHED FISH - Rich Hall, one of the crew on Joe Green's fishing boat reels in the catch, making sure neither fish nor cords get tangled.