Fishing Through The Years

Clive Bruce
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Fishing Through The Years
By Samantha Bruce
In the 1920’s many fishermen started fishing in their boyhood. Clive Bruce was one of those
fishermen. He was born on March 23rd,1910 in East Baltic, Prince Edward Island. He worked
most of his life as a fisherman and when he was not fishing there was always chores to do at
home.
Most fishermen fished with an older person in their family so they could inherit their licenses
and fleet.
They fished in boats around 20-30 feet long which had no cabins, horsepower motors or
stoves. Their boats were made of wood.
They had no computerized equipment so they had to use a compass or just common sense. In
a storm they would have to use the lighthouse or any sign of land.
There was always all kinds of fish to catch and many different kinds. Some of those kinds
are clams, lobster, hake, scallops, cod, mackerel, quahogs, haddock and queen crabs.
Fishermen had to have a license in order to fish a certain kind of fish. They had to fish as
many kinds as they could in order to have enough money for the family.
Most fishermen in Eastern Kings County fished in Red Point, Basin Head, North Lake and
Souris.
They fished whenever the season for that kind of fish was open. They fished from Monday
until Saturday. They would go out from 4am-6pm. They never fished on Sunday because it
was considered the Lord’s day and you weren’t suppose to work.
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Fishing affected their families especially the ones with farms greatly because the rest of the
family usually had one less family member to help them do their daily chores.
Most fishermen liked fishing because fishing and farming was the most popular thing to do
then.
Today there are just as many fishermen fishing, as there was then, and maybe even more
because there use to be around 50 and now there are more than 100.
Now the boats are up to 40-50 feet long and have cabins bathrooms, a furnace and a horse
power engine.
They now have computerized equipment and the boats are made out of fiberglass.
Three generations of Bruce Fishermen!
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07/10/2011
Egbert Boetrein
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Egbert Boertien
We interviewed Egbert Boertien on Dragger fishing. He
started dragger fishing in 1952. He came to Canada from
Holland as an immigrant. He immigrated from Holland
because he didn’t have enough work there. At first he
farmed with his brother, but he didn’t like farming so he
decided to fish because it gave him more money. Egbert
told us a story that his brother came to Canada first and
they wrote letters back and forth. His brother told to him
about how great Canada was. His brother said that money
was growing on trees, and that you just had to shake the
tree. Egbert came here but he said that he never found the
tree with money growing on it! file://E:\fishing\egbert_bortein.htm
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Egbert Boetrein
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He dragger fished between Souris and Cape North (Cape
Breton). He sold his fish in the Souris area. There weren’t
really any best fishing spots because everywhere you
fished you got lots of fish. Unlike now in Canada there’s not
as much fish as back then and catches are lower due to
over fishing. For that reason the government put a Quota
on ground fishing. The government put a quota on the
number of tons of fish you are allowed to catch based on a
portion of the global quota. The fisherman in each area
have a certain number of tons to catch but Egbert feels it
isn’t enough to make a living. The fishery was over-fished
partly because of the methods of fishing.
They used mid water trawling and they could adjust the
nets in the water and it scooped the fish up and and it
caught everything in the water and the fish had no way of
getting out. It caught all species, and mixed fish. For
example, they might be fishing for red fish and they were
getting half of cod with the red fish so they’d throw the
cod overboard and the cod would die.
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Egbert Boetrein
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In the days Egbert fished they used a method called otter
trawling where the nets caught the fish lying on the bottom
of the ocean and didn’t scoop up such large numbers of all
species, but if it did they sold all the fish and didn’t throw
any overboard. Otter Trawling is still used today. The
difference between dragger fishing and other types of
fishing is that you use a net to catch more than one fish at
a time. When dragger fishing you catch different kinds of
fish such as codfish, flounder and hake. Flounder were the
majority and there were some hake. The reason they
caught only cod, flounder and hake was because the holes in
the nets allowed certain kinds of fish to fit through the
holes, and escape being caught.
The names of Egbert’s boats were Marjorie and Mary Bell,
Gloria May, Irene R., and North Bay.
In the earlier years the boat was a 60 foot dragger. A
sixty foot dragger would cost approximately $50,000 in
1959.The same boat today would cost approximately one
million dollars. Licenses in 1959 cost about $5.00-$1000
now. The prices of fish back then were, haddock 5 cents,
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Cod 3 cents and Hake 1 cent. There is a big change in
prices since 1952 compared to now. Today fisherman sell
Cod for 70 cents, Hake for 40 cents and Flounder for 35
cents. There were usually five people on the dragger as a crew. Egbert was a captain on the dragger, and the other job
positions were mate, engineer, cook, and deckhand. The
mate helps out the captain. The engineer works the engine
and makes sure it’s working properly. The cook prepares
the food for the fisherman, and the deckhand is
responsible for cleaning off the deck and helping out where
needed. The fishing trip would usually last 5-6 days. The
hardest time to fish was when there was a gale of wind,
because the water would be rough and you couldn’t do
anything if you were out on the deck.
The seasons that Egbert fished in were Spring until late
December. The best time to fish was in the Spring after
the ice was all gone. Egbert retired from fishing in 1991,
(ten years ago). He retired because he had a very sore back
from doing hard work.
By Jalessa MacLellan & Alyssa Peters
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07/10/2011
Harry Harris
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Harry Harris
Harry Harris was Lighthouse keeper at East Point lighthouse for at least 30 years. The
Lighthouse itself was built in 1867.
Harry Harris lives in East Point, P.E.I. His uncle Stewart worked in the lighthouse and
Harry hung around with him from the time he was 11. Later when Stewart retired, he felt
that Harry was trained enough to become the head lighthouse keeper. That is how he
became lighthouse keeper.
Harry was responsible for seeing that the station and all navigational aids were
operating , such as the light, radio station, and fog horn. If necessary, he did
maintenance on this equipment, and any painting and cleaning. Painting the lighthouse
would take three men and about a week. If there is good weather, it would take less time.
Harry had helped out with painting the beacon also. The Beacon is the building with all
the radio equipment and is now gift shop. In the summer the gift shop would be open and
ice cream would be for sale to tourists from across the world with tours of the
Lighthouse and guides explaining every use of the detailed projects and radio systems in
the rooms.
There was a constant watch kept on the vapor light. The temperature of the kerosene oil
had to be kept constant because if it decreased it would cause a malfunction and blaze up
and go afire which was always dreaded. This would also mean that the lantern room
located at the top of the lighthouse would become smoked up and sooty. At night the
light was serviced every three hours which meant going out to wind it up like a clock,
which kept the light rotating for the next three hours.
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Harry Harris
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The purpose of the vapor light was to flash light in a particular sequence which identified
each light house. The East Point lighthouse had a flash of light every 5 seconds and was
the only light house with that sequence. This was really the purpose of the light house- to
tell fishermen at sea where exactly they were. The vapor light burned at about 450
watts. Today the light on top of the light house is only 50 watts.
Harry had to phone the weather conditions to Charlottetown thorough out the day. They
had wind caps which rotated which told them the wind speed. These were radioed into
the airport to every lighthouse across the island. This helped Charlottetown to give a
weather forecast and track storms and give storm warnings by knowing where the storm
currently was and knowing the speed it was traveling.
These included ice reports, sea conditions, ferry operations, he phoned in the weather
conditions twice a day and ice reports generally were called in once a day.
The fog horn in the building that is now the gift shop, worked by compressed air. There
were semi-formal diesel engines that compressed air all the time when it was operating
and a big receiver tank holding about 50-60 pounds of air. It had blown twice every
minute. There was one on the minute and another blow nine seconds after. It did this
every minute and that is the characteristics of the fog horn. That particular interval of
blows every minute and nine seconds apart identified it as being East Point. In foggy
weather it would allow the fishermen to know the distance they were from the shore. The
buoy located of East Point was in 66 feet of water, which was considered a safe depth of
water.
The lighthouse was moved twice. It was back about 2,200 feet, and moved out to the
cape area after the Phoenix grounded of East Point, and then in 1908 it had to be moved
to the outer fringes of the cape to allow the fog alarm to be erected.
This was done in the days before hydraulics or big tractors, so the lighthouse was moved
with a capson. It would be similar to a spool of thread standing up right. You pull a thread
out and wind it back-up it would be a pulling force. Turning this "spool of thread" were big
long rods and there were horses attached to those walking around in circles, winding up
the spools of thread. So the lighthouse was jacked-up and put on what they call "weighs"
and it ended up to be nothing short of a railroad track sort of thing. But these weighs
were about a foot and a half square, about 14 inch square timbers and they were laid out
like a railroad track and the building was set on that and then on this capson slid it along
the weigh. When they would run out of track they would take the back part of it and put
it in front all the time.
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Harry Harris
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Harry says that he doesn’t really have a problem with the lighthouse being run by
computers today, but he says the biggest problem would be the care of the property as it
is becoming dilapidated as far as the building is concerned. The lighthouse is quite
different, the fog horn is gone, the radio beacon is gone. " I think we were running at
30,000 candlepower light and we now have a 50 watt bulb doing it, more or less a
Christmas tree flasher," say’s Harry (about the light.) But to see the buildings being in
dilapidated state is kind of a depressing look.
Harry Harris is now retired from being a Lighthouse keeper at East Point, but enjoyed his
many years as the "keeper".
Written by Catherine Young and Freda Fraser
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07/10/2011
Irving Baker
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Irving Baker
The life of Irving Baker follows many paths and is an interesting and successful story.
Irving was born on January 1, 1921. He was one of four children born to William and
Gladys Baker of Lakeville. He married Mabel Robertson and they have four children.
Irving is known throughout the community as a "Jack of All Trades". He has been a
sawmill operator, mechanic (had his own garage), plumber, carpenter, boat builder and a
fisherman. Irving always spent a lot of time tinkering out in his shop and he took the time
to teach his sons Wendell and Arthur his skills. They in turn seem to have passed this on
to their sons.
Irving’s first year lobster fishing was with Lyman Rose in 1954. Lyman asked him to take
some traps of his own and fish with him. The next year, 1955 he started fishing on his
own. The previous winter he built his own 33' wooden boat with the help of Reggie Rose.
Irving fished out of North Lake Harbour. One summer he fished for hake out of Basin
Head. When asked why he went fishing when he could do so many other things, his reply
was "I had to make some more money. I couldn’t make enough at the sawmill. Fishing took
in more money to help with the bills." For a number of years Irving ran a sawmill as well as
fishing. The sawmill is now owned and operated by Irving’s brother Lyman and his son
Carl.
Irving comments on how fishing has changed over the years. "I built wooden boats", he
said. "Most of the boats now are fiberglass. They are both good fishing boats. Fiberglass
ones may be a little harder to handle but they last longer".
When Irving started fishing it was a "Free For All". You could put out as many traps as
you wished, some fished 1000 traps. Now the trap limit is 300 traps per fisherman. Irving
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says the trap limit and lobster size limit were the best thing that ever happened to the
fishing industry.
When Irving started fishing, the mechanical hauler was just coming into use. He used a
compass and later on a sounder. He had an 8 cylinder engine in his boat but says now most
are 6 cylinder diesel engines. He says all the modern technology fishermen have at their
disposal today takes a lot of the guess work out of fishing and make it easier. He adds
with a smile that bigger boats and modern equipment don’t necessarily mean you catch
more fish.
The first year Irving fished lobsters be got .18 cents a pound for them. This is a far cry
from the $5.00 - $6.00 they sell for today. He says we also have to keep things in
perspective. Everything else costs a lot more today also. Irving says the fishing industry
is a lot more regulated today then when he started fishing. He remembers how every
Spring a person from the Department of Fisheries would come to Earl Johnson’s fishing
establishment at North Lake and sell fishing licenses to anyone who wanted to buy one
for .25 cents. Today a license costs over $500 a year.
Irving recalls the big "Trap Smasher" of 1953. The storm cleared out nearly everyone. It
lasted for a week. The fishermen helped one another out though by swapping of work.
Everyone got back on the water and had a good season. Today this swapping of work
might be labeled the "Underground Economy". In those days it was just neighbors helping
neighbors.
Irving built a lot of boats in his day (around 25). His first boat sold for $500.00 plus the
engine. Irving’s son Wendell also built wooden boats after Irving stopped. Both men’s
boats were called "Baker Boats". Wendell first used his Dad’s mould but later modified it
some. Some of the "Baker Boats" still fishing out of North Lake are owned by Preston and
Stanley Coffin, Martin Rose, Lonnie and Kevin Robertson and Arthur Baker. Wendell also
fished lobsters out of North Lake for 5 years. He sold his outfit to Sheldon Rose of East
Baltic who still fishes out of North Lake.
There are pretty modern boat haulers today to transport your boat to and from the
harbour. Irving tells how he got his boat out over the Old Mill Road to North Lake
Harbour in the Spring. Colin Dixon from East Baltic had a small bulldozer and a wooden
sleigh. He hauled the boat to the lake on the sleigh.
Irving did a lot of carpenter work while he fished. The first building he built was the
barn at Kingsboro Baptist Church. He earned $2.50 a day. He remembers Reggie Rose
asking him how much he got paid for the week. When Irving told him he made $2.50 a
day, Reggie’s reply was "Boy, that’s some great money". Irving also built a lot of the
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houses and barns in the Eastern Kings area. Some of the houses built are Elwood Ching's,
Michael Keus’, Alvin Rose's, Robert Rose's, Clarence Rose’s and Clive Bruce’s (now Glen
Bruce’s).
Irving likes to compare the time he was growing up to nowadays. There were no radios
when he was younger. Charles Ching sold him his first radio. "Boy was that excitement",
he said. "We’d gather at the house and listen to the hockey games on the radio". He
doesn’t think young people today would consider this very exciting entertainment. Major
Young had the first T.V. in the area. He invited me in to see it. "Gosh, it was really
something back then", Irving says. We got the electric power in by the Old Mill Road in
1958 and pavement on that road in 1959. Munn's Road itself wasn’t paved until a number
of years later.
Irving tells of when the local men had to get out and shovel the road so the plough could
get through. Sometimes the road would be blocked for a week at a time. Fauncy Peters
was the only plough on the road from Souris to East Point. Today there are more and
better ploughs and less road for each to cover. We also don’t get the amount of snow we
used to get back then either.
Irving is also a plumber and still opens and closes a lot of cottages in the area for the
summer residents. He can still crawl under a small space below a cottage even though he
is 81 years of age.
Irving chuckled as he ended his interview with this little story of his younger days.
Livingston Rose (called Livie) had cows in a field near Irving’s. Irving was 17 at the time.
When Livie went to take his cows home in the fall, two of them were missing. Irving tells
of how one Sunday afternoon he went for a walk and ended up in the woods. Lo and behold
there was one of the cows in the woods! He went as close as he could to the cow and
waited and watched and wondered how he could catch her. He said he had a rope in his
pocket as most lads did. He waited until the cow got her head down in the grass and he
made a leap and grabbed her by the horns. "Did that cow ever put up a fight", he said. "I
know I should never have tried to get her on my own". He said he finally got the rope tied
around her horns and tied her to a tree. "Was I ever beat", he said. "I went home and
told Dad I found Livie’s cow. Dad didn’t believe me at first but came to the woods with
me. We walked the cow home easily as she was exhausted too". Livie got the cow home
the next day. Irving says that some people don’t believe this story but he insists it really
happened. His wife Mabel vouched for him.
I’m quite sure Irving was not likely heard to say "I’m bored" as the kids do today. With
his many interests and occupations he always found lots to do and enjoyed doing it. He is
still interested in anything that goes on in the community (especially is there’s lunch
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served). He faithfully attends Community School each year and really enjoys the
sociability.
Irving worked hard all his life and is still active at 81 years of age.
Interviewed by Barbara Baker
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Nellie Young
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An Interview with Nellie Young
On November 6th, 2001 we interviewed Nellie Young. Nellie
was born in 1906 at East Baltic. She obtained her schooling
at the East Baltic School where she completed grade 10.
Then she went to Boston and worked there from 1924 until
1925. After she had collected enough money she moved
back home to Prince Edward Island.
Nellie married Mayor Young, who was a fisherman, in 1926
and had a family of four children.
Nellie worked at the Green Lantern, a cookhouse in North
Lake. Unfortunately, it was not in operation very long
before it closed. After this she went to work for the
Johnston’s at their cookhouse called, Johnston’s Cookhouse
which was located at North Lake. Johnston’s previously
owned a cookhouse and factory at East Point before they
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moved to North Lake. The cookhouse was a 52 foot long
building with eating area, sleeping quarters and office
downstairs. The second floor was used as sleeping quarters
for fishermen and factory workers. The rooms would sleep
12 to a room. The fishermen would provide their own
bedding and towels and take them home for washing when
they went home on Saturday night.
The owners of the cookhouse, Earl and Janet Johnston,
lived and worked at the cookhouse from Spring to Fall.
Some of the people Nellie worked with were Rita
MacDonald, Sylvia MacLean, Helen Young , Vera MacDonald,
Emma Harris, Anna (Harris) Holland and Arlene (Robertson)
MacPhail.
The cookhouse was opened in 1944 and came to a sad ending
when it closed in 1964.
Nellie was supposed to work at the fish plant in North Lake
when she went to look for work first but she didn’t because
at the last minute, the boss of the cookhouse asked her to
work there for them. Nellie lived at the cookhouse during
the week, sometimes taking her children to stay with her.
Nellie worked from April to December. Fishermen would
lobster fish in May and June then fish for cod and other
fish for the remainder of the season.
Nellie’s normal work day (which was Monday to Saturday)
usually consisted of waking up at 3:00 a.m., lighting the
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stoves and starting to cook breakfast for the fishermen.
Nellie would tap on the pipes to awaken her helpers known
as "cookees" to come down to help make breakfast which
they would start serving at 4:00 a.m. Breakfast would
consist of porridge, bread, prunes, beans and tea.
After the men left to go out fishing the tables were
cleared and the cook would set bread (twice a day) making
17 loaves at a time, make rolls and bake 2 - 3 pans of
biscuits (5 doz. each pan) each day using 100 lbs of flour a
day. They would also make raisin bread, cookies and pies (14
large pies per meal). Chocolate cake with homemade fudge
icing was a favorite sweet especially with Harold Hunter.
Nellie remembers the time that the icing melted right of
the cake onto the floor with the heat and she had to have
someone run to Theresa’s Store to get some chocolate bars
that they melted to put over the top of the cake before
the fishermen arrived for their meal. Nellie would make 6 7 fruit cakes in early April of each year when she first
went to work to have when they would run out of other
things throughout the season.
At 10:00 a.m. the factory workers came in for lunch and
they were served tea, sweets and whatever was left over
from the day before. Dinner would consist of roast pork or
roast beef or salt fish and potatoes and turnips (which was
the only vegetable they ever used), bread, pie, sweets and
tea. At supper they served fish or meat hash, soup and
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homemade potted meat along with bread, sweets and tea.
Eighty Five Lunch Buckets would be packed at night for the
fishermen the next day with biscuits, sandwiches made
from home made bread and cold meat, cheese, sweets and a
large bottle of tea. The "cookees" hands would be sore
from slicing all the bread for the lunches. Nellie says there
was no such things as coffee back then, everyone drank tea.
Nellie’s day would end at 10:30 at night after her and the
girls washed the dishes, mopped the floor and all the lunch
buckets were made for the next day.
The cookhouse would seat 80 people (tables with long
benches) but many fishermen came and went at different
times according to their schedules. The meals were cooked
on a large stove that was heated by wood and coal. It wasn’t
until later years that they had the luxury of using an
electric stove. There were no refrigerators until the later
years Nellie worked at the cookhouse. She says she doesn’t
remember how things were kept but the food was eaten up
so fast that nothing spoiled. They used only can milk so
storing milk was not an issue. The groceries would be
shipped from Charlottetown when needed, also using local
meat and fish. Nellie says they never ran out of food at any
time.
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On the far right is Earl Jackson's cookhouse,
where Nellie worked.
On stormy days when there were less fishermen out on the water it provided a good
opportunity to get some baking done ahead.
Nellie received $10.00 a week in wages for working at the cookhouse when she first
started working, compared to an average wage of $ 500.00 a week for a cook today.
Nellie recalls that the fishermen and some locals that would always arrive for their meals
would pay .25 cents for a meal back then and today such a meal would cost from $10.00 $12.00.
When the cookhouse closed in 1964, Nellie and (owner) Mrs. Johnston walked out of the
cookhouse together.
There was a lot of hard work put into running and maintaining the cookhouse. Nellie says
it was hard work but she says she also had a lot of fun. She says the fishermen were
great people to feed as they appreciated a good meal and always had a story or yarn to
tell to make the day interesting. Nellie recalls the many times her two sons, Johnny and
Gary, would be playing on the wharf and fall through the planks, land in the water and
have to be fished out by a fisherman.
After leaving the cookhouse in 1964, Nellie went to work at the Sea Breeze Motel in
Kingsboro where she worked as a cook, waitress and a desk clerk. She worked at the
Motel for 20 years before she retired.
Nellie says she met a lot of people and made a lot of friends over the years through the
cookhouse at North Lake and the Sea Breeze Motel in Kingsboro and still today looks
back fondly on all the memories.
We would like to thank Nellie, Glen Cameron, and Eastern Kings Consolidated School for
helping us to do this interview.
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By: Marlee Cameron & Jason MacGregor
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North Lake
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NORTH LAKE HARBOUR
Excerpts from Capt. Walter Bruce, Masters Home Trade, who has fished out
of North Lake Harbour, Prince Edward Island, from 1960 to present time
(2002) as told to his granddaughter, Alicia Rae Bruce.
In 1960 Johnston's Factory was still in operation. Two buyers were Albert
Griffin and Landry & Landry who later became Babineau Fisheries. Johnston’s
had been a major lobster packing and salt fish operation in the 40s and 50s. It
was now in decline. There were numerous shanties where the fishermen lived.
They fished ground fish and lobster -- the latter a two-month fishery the
same as today. In the 60s a lobster license cost $0.25.
There were approximately 45 fishermen fishing out of North Lake Harbour in
the 1960s. There were two big cookhouses -- one Johnston’s run by Nellie
Young on the east side of the run. Another was Albert Griffin’s which was on
the west side of the harbour. There were also two or three smaller cookhouses.
They fed the fishermen their three meals plus full lunch pails. The first bridge
at this time was right across the run as opposed to the new one which is
further into the harbour. Griffin’s had two buying stations at this time with
one on each side of the run. Johnston’s shut down in the mid 60s. Earl
Johnston, the owner, died and his wife ran it for a couple of years.
Alonzo Babineau began buying along with Paul Gallant. Babineau’s is still in its
former place but is now called Polar Seafoods. There was a man-made wharf
from Babineau’s up the lake. A government wharf went from Babineau’s towards
the run. On the east side the wharf ended where the present entrance of the
boat pen is situated.
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The lake flowed into the area where the first North Lake Fishermen’s Co-op
was (the east side). There was no land until the government had fill brought in.
Albert Griffin in the late 60s had a new buying station and later a processing
plant on this new land. In 1973 he was also the first to buy tuna at North Lake
and exported it to Japan in its fresh state. He later sold his business to United
Maritime Fishermen which went out of business in the mid-80s.
UMF processed lobster. Fishermen from North Lake, Naufrage and Souris
bought UMF’s assets and operated the plant for 12-13 years under the name
North Lake Fish Co-op. They have recently constructed a new processing
facility close by. The remains of the old plant serves as a buying station and
for processing tuna.
When the size of the fleet increased and more wharf space was needed, the
boat pen was constructed in the mid to late 60s. As well, at this time, more
wharf was added on the west side from Babineau’s side westwards.
With North Lake becoming a haven for sport fishing, ie Tuna Capital of the
World, and boats becoming bigger in the 70s, the bridge was too low; thus it
was removed and a new one constructed further up the run where it presently
sits. Around this same period the old Johnston’s factory was torn down and
Garth Jenkins had a new building built for processing tuna. It flourished for a
few years, stood empty for a decade and now is a lobster buying stand.
The Griffin cookhouse ceased business in the 70s as fishermen had more
mobility. With the onslaught of the charters for tuna fishing (30+ boats)
Buddy Hubert MacDonald constructed a restaurant called the Rod & Reel on
the west side of the harbour. John Winsloe, an American, built the Bluefin
Motel. They were both very busy and successful in the 70s. The restaurant had
many owners and is not in operation. The motel at this date is under
renovations and has new owners.
In the 60s there was a lot of moss and seaweed coming ashore. There was a
great demand for this product. Bill Stewart bought dry moss at the lake and
then a Danish company built a major drying plant. It was successful until the
mid-80s. It ceased operations due to market conditions. The families up and
down the shoreline would sell their moss to this plant. The building has just
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North Lake
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recently been demolished.
A North Lake tourist booth was built by North Lake Tuna Charters Inc. It is
still in operation today and run by the CIC with local people operating it.
A monument was erected by the Cheverie families commemorating the place
where they first came ashore on P.E.I. It is on the east side of the harbour.
There is also an old pioneer cemetery situated on the Red Bank at the west end
of North Lake bridge.
Women also joined the fishing fleet as paid workers or corks in the early 80s.
Some of these first fisherwomen were Ann McPhee, Loma MacPhee, Mary
MacDonald, Fern Keus and Irene MacDonald.
Today lobster, cod, mackerel, tuna, scallop, herring, and snow, spider and rock
crabs are fished out of North Lake as seasons permit. There are approximately
100 licensed fishermen fishing out of North Lake as their home port.
Without prejudice,
Walter Bruce
These pictures are of North
Lake Harbour 50-60 years ago!
Back to Home Page
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Pat Robertson
Page 1 of 2
FISHING WITH
PAT ROBERTSON
Pat has fished for 42 years and now he is retired.
When Pat started fishing, he fished in a bang bang boat. It was a one cylinder
engine boat, which made a "bang bang" sound. They had no cabins on the boats.
When Pat started fishing in 1949, they only had a box compass for direction. If the
pointer was pointing in one direction, then you would go that way. When you were
heading back, you couldn’t turn the compass around so you would have to make sure
that you were heading in the opposite direction you came from. Today's boats have
many electronics to help guide them in their fishing.
To find the fish back then, they had to get their information from the land. They
could find fish by looking at the birds. If there were two seagulls sitting on the
water, then you would follow them and they would find the fish for you.
You would have to be your own weather man to tell if the day was going to be fit to
go out. You could tell if it was going to blow, if the birds were flying high in the
sky. If there was a red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morning sailors
take warning. When you can see all the things at the bottom of the ocean, there
will be wind. If you can see all the reflection in the water, then there will also be
wind. If the clouds were moving, then there will be wind from the direction that the
clouds were moving in. If there was no wind before 9 o’clock, it was going to be a
nice day for fishing.
There is a limited amount of traps now, unlike back in Pat's days. Before, they
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would have to haul all their traps by hand. Now, they haul with a boom. Back in
Pat's day women were not aloud to fish, but today there are many fisher women.
Pat fished with a man named Dickey Power for one year, before obtaining his own
boat and hiring Stephen L. for almost six years.
Pat fished five kinds of fish: cod, hake, mackerel, tuna and lobster. Sometimes he
caught the odd skate, scuttle or sturgeon. They were called "junk fish" and were
thrown away because there was no market for them.
In Pat’s early days lobsters were worth little. Farmers would hire hands to spread
the lobster shells over the fields for fertilizer. The farmers would feed the hands
lobster for their lunch, because it was so cheap.
Back then fish were worth 27 to 30 cents a pound. Now fish are wroth $5.00 a
pound. In Pat’s day a lobster license cost 25 cents. Now they cost $500-550.
When you bought a boat, it would cost you about $575. Now a fiberglass boat is
between $80,000 to $90,000 without an engine and fully completed costs
$160,000-$200,000.
If Pat had the chance to go back fishing, he said that he defiantly would." It’s in
my blood," he said.
Pat had a funny story to tell. When he purchased his first boom to haul the traps,
Stephen L was fishing with him.
One day Pat asked, "How do you like the boom?"
Stephen replied, "We should have two!"
Pat then asked, "Why?"
Stephen replied, "In case one breaks down."
By Felicia Gallant and Karen LaPierre
Back to Interviews
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Preston Coffin
Page 1 of 4
Preston Coffin
Let us take you on a sea ferrying journey on the life of Preston Coffin, a fisherman, who
fished on the North and South side of the Eastern end of our fair Island.
Preston was born on May 24, 1931 to Percy and Louise (MacLean) Coffin, Kingsboro, P.E.I.
He was one of twelve children. His father, Percy, was a fisherman who fished at Basin
Head and many of Preston’s brothers Lee, Stanley, Stewart, Sheldon, Weston and his
sister Birdie fishes with her husband Sheldie Rose, are also fisherpeople.
Preston’s early years saw him working at the age of 12 at Harry Bruce’s as a farm
labourer and then working at Charles Ching’s as a farm labourer and trucker where he
earned $100.00 a year in wages.
In 1948, at the age of 18 he bought his first boat from Basil Chapman for $150.00. This
was a 22 foot, one cylinder wooden boat that used Imperial gasoline. He fished out of
Basin Head along side his father, Percy. He fished hake, cod, herring, mackerel and
haddock using gill nets and set lines which were trawls with hooks on it. The fish were
weighed and salted by Elmer Peters, and Peter Johnny Gallant both from St. Charles who
worked for Paul Gallant Fisheries. The fish were salted for 21 days then shipped to
Halifax. Preston fished for 2 years at the Basin then sold his boat to Pat Robertson and
worked as a self employed trucker who trucked potatoes and pulp for the next several
years. During this time he married Jean (Stewart) of Red Point and had a family of four
children.
The call of the sea had Preston return to fishing starting out this time by fishing
"company gear" for Griffin for one year. Company Gear Fishing was when a buyer would
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provide the boat and gear and the fisherman took a percentage of the catch. He then
bought a boat with Pat Robertson and they fished together for one year. Then he bought
his own boat. This boat was built by Richards from Murray Harbour, hence the tern
"Richards Boat". It was a 34 foot, 6 cylinder engine, which cost $500.00. His next boat
was also a "Richards Boat", a 32 foot, 6 cylinder engine which he named ARC. In 1971 he
had his first "Baker Boat" built by Irving Baker, Munn's Road which was 40 foot long
costing $1,000 - $1,500 (just for the hull). He had this boat for 14 years which he named
Ricky C Allen. In 1985 he had his second "Baker Boat" built by Wendell Baker, Munn's
Road, which is 38 foot with a 6 cylinder engine fully completed cost $22,000. This boat
was named Candy C after his first grandchild. Preston still fishes with this boat today
and says it has served him well, like all his boats.
When asked what he thought of the newer boats now compared to the older boats, he
said the fiberglass and wooden boats they build today are much more comfortable and
probably better, with a cost of $160,000 - $200,000 fully completed, but for the fishing
he does, his boat will do just fine.
Licenses cost .25 cents when he started fishing and today to renew your license each
year costs $550 - $575 depending on the number of licenses or species of fish that you
have licenses for.
Preston fishes lobsters out of North Lake Harbour in May and June. He would fish in any
area from McInnis Cove to East Point Lighthouse in the older days, but for the past 20
years he mainly fishes in the same spot just east of North Lake Harbour. Lobster
fishermen don’t move around as much as in the old days. During the summer months and
fall he fished out of Basin Head Harbour until 1985. He said fishing was easier at the
Basin because the tides weren’t as strong for hauling trawls and there were plenty of fish
at one time. North Lake, with the stronger tides, makes it harder to haul gear and with
harsher weather on the North Side, makes it more of a challenge to fish. In the last
years, he fished at the Basin (fished mainly 10 miles off on "The Rock") himself and John
Robertson were the only people fishing there. There were no buyers located there so
they had to haul their fish to Souris to sell their day's catch.
Preston says the North Lake Harbour has changed extremely since he first fished there.
There was no wharf to speak of back then just planks laid out to pile traps on. Over the
years after the Government took over the Harbours the wharfs were completed on both
sides and eventually all the way down past the existing new bridge where he ties his boat
up. The harbour has been dredged many times over the years to allow safer entrance and
exit of the harbour.
Preston had no navigational aids when he first started fishing. He went by the wind and
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sun, when it was out, and said using your head was very important. After a few years he
got his first compass that he used to help him judge where he was, but a lot of times he
says he just headed in the direction he thought he should go. Sometimes, especially in
fog, he would end up 5 miles from the harbour when he saw land then just turn and head
in the direction of the harbour. He says it was a lot of guess work back then but now a
days with modern technology such as depth sounders, radars, fish finders, GPS, CB Radio
and VHF, things are easier. He said in the old days if you saw the seagulls flying high it
meant it would be windy the next day.
Years ago to measure the depth of the water they would tie a rope on the anchor, lower
it and then measure the depth of the water. One day he was fishing with Alfie Fisher and
Alfie dropped the anchor over to measure the depth but forgot to attach the line and the
anchor was lost. Anchors were made years ago by Clarence MacDonald in his forge in
Bothwell. He made over 500 anchors a year and probably needed to with mishaps like
Alfie’s.
Preston said there was no limit on the number of traps you could fish when he started
fishing. Some fished as high as 1,000 traps but he only fished 400 - 500 (3 bow) traps.
Now the Department of Fisheries allows fishermen to fish 300 traps. It cost about
$4.00 to build a trap years ago and today it cost about $40.00 to build a 4 bow wood and
wire trap. He used to build 150 traps each winter but now he only builds 25 traps each
winter. He likes the 4 bow traps he uses now, as they seem to fish better and also more
lobsters around now helps. He has been cleaned out of traps and gear at least 10 times in
his fishing career and this is due to storms, ice and the lack of the use of ice poles.
Lobsters sold for .27 - .30 a pound when he started fishing and today you get anywhere
from $5.00 - $6.00 a pound. A good days catch years ago would be 300 - 400 pounds and
today an ordinary day would yield 400 - 500 pounds. He uses herring (.22 a pound) and
frozen mackerel (.50 a pound) for bait now. Bait the earlier years would be .3 - .5 a pound.
To save money he set trawls to catch bait for fishing and spent many a long night
catching gaspereau for bait in ponds such as Black Pond, East Lake, and Blooming Point.
This was done by hand by setting a seign.
He used gill nets to catch cod and hake, which now cost $150.00 ready made but he used
to make his own nets by buying the material and measure up and make the size he wanted.
He also made up lines and hooks for mackerel fishing.
Preston fished tuna for 10 years out of North Lake. The first one he caught he got
$50.00. He caught as many as 8 -9 some years, none other years and remembers losing 7
in one day. The last fish he caught sold for $1.00 a pound and weighed 1,010 pounds. He
has since sold his tuna license because fish were scarce and he wasn’t one to be sailing
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around doing nothing waiting for that "Lucky Strike."
Preston sold his "catch of the day" to many buyers over the years; Griffins, Al Babineau,
Harry Walsh, Paul Gallant, Eddie Babineau, Co-op, Mariner Sea Foods, Pictou. He says
buyers have stayed consistent over the years, giving a fair price and with more
competition over recent years has made a better fishing market for fishermen.
Preston used to fish many years by himself but over the past number of years he has
hired fishermen helpers or "Corks" to help him fish. He had a number of different people
including his youngest son Rick who fished 9 years with him and his oldest son Allen has
fished with him for the last 7 years and will continue in his father’s footsteps in a fishing
career.
Preston or should we say "Blackie" or "Chappie" or "Jack Ronnie" is not adverse to telling
a story or two. He tells us of the "Handles" that many fishermen have, some include: "The
Kid", "Grey Owl", "Rabbit", "The Bear", etc. No one seems to call each other by their
correct name but rather by their "Handle" when talking to them.
When asked if he enjoyed fishing, Preston said he wouldn’t be doing it if he didn’t. He
said it was hard work over the years but a good way to make a dollar.
Submitted by Michael Coffin & Judy Coffin
Back to Interviews
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R & B MacDonald
Page 1 of 3
Beatrice and Rita MacDonald
Our grandmothers Beatrice and Rita MacDonald are two sisters who worked at Johnston’s fish
factory (plant) at East Point and after that shut down worked at North Lake. Beatrice and Rita
were daughters of Fred and Mamie Cheverie of East Point. Beatrice was born on September 18,
1916. She married James MacDonald of North Lake in 1945. She has resided on the farm at North
Lake and continues to live in her own home. Her husband James has passed away in 2001. Rita was
born on February 13, 1926. She married Ronnie MacDonald (James’ brother) of East Point in 1953.
Rita continues to live on their family farm at East Point with her husband Ronnie.
The fish factory at East Point was located on the north shore near East Point where Beaton’s Pond
flows out to the sea. The factory was originally owned by George MacIntyre, Montague. Earl and
Janet Johnson of Fortune took over the factory in the early 1940's. The factory was open two
months (May & June) and processed lobster. The lobsters were caught by the fishermen who
fished off the coast around East Point. There were approximately 15 boats that fished in this
area. The boats were small with gasoline engines. The boats were moored off the coast in fair
weather, but hauled up on the beach when it was windy. They were also beached on the week-end
as there was no fishing on Sunday. The fishermen would row their dories out to the boats when
they would go fishing.
The factory employed approximately 35 people (20 women and 15 men). Both men and women were
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employed at the factory. Most of the workers inside the plant were women and many of them were
from the surrounding area of East Point and South Lake. Their jobs were usually inside the plant
and their tasks included: taking the meat out of the claws, tails, arms and thumbs of the lobster
body, using the wringer to press the meat out of the legs, washing the lobster meat, making the
salt brine to put over the meat in the cans, lining the cans with paper, packing the meat, cleaning
the equipment and washing up the work place. The men who worked here were usually employed in
the heavier work of the plant. Their jobs included: lifting the crates of live and cooked lobsters,
tending the fires and the boilers, cooking the lobsters, operating the sealing machine, cleaning the
lobster claws and arms, disposing of the shells and bodies, cooking the sealed cans in a bath or
retort, lifting the cases of cans, and using the hose for cleaning the floors and crates and boilers.
Many of the jobs that are done by the workers in the fish processing plants today are similar to
those used long ago. Workers are still cleaning and taking the meat from the lobster body in much
the same way it was done in the past. There is more modern machinery for pressing the meat from
the legs and sealing the cans. Fork lifts and conveyor belts are used for moving and lifting the
heavy containers.
The people from the area who worked in the factory would commute in the morning and evening.
Beatrice and Rita would walk approximately one and one-half miles to the factory both morning
and evening, unless they were fortunate to get a ride on the back of someone's truck that was
delivering other workers from the South Lake region. Most of the fishermen and some of the
workers came from other area of Eastern P.E.I. Some came as far away as Montague and Murray
River. They would stay in one of the bunk houses that was on the site. Their only day off was
Sunday so many of them would stay and live here for the two months of May and June.
They ate their meals at the cookhouse that was also owned and operated by Earl & Janet
Johnston. The fishermen and workers who stayed there would get all their meals there. Some of
the ladies from the area worked in the cookhouse. Beatrice worked for 10 years before she was
married and Rita worked for 15 years. Rita started when she was still in school working on
Saturdays or at times when they were short on crew. Rita worked in the factory for 10 years and
then went to work in the cookhouse.
Women did not wear jeans at this time so their uniform consisted of their dresses, rubber boots,
large white rubber aprons tied with binder twine, and felt tams over their hair. The hairnet
replaced the tams, during Rita’s last years at the factory.
There was no electricity, or heat at the factory or bunkhouse. Their heat consisted of what the
lobster cookers and kitchen stove would provide. The light came from the windows and open doors.
Their water came from wells with gasoline pumps. Their washroom facilities consisted of enamel
basins and outdoor toilets. Wages for factory workers was $1.00 a day. The day started at 7:30 in
the morning. Dinner was at 11:00 a.m. and supper was at 4:00 p.m. They would work until 6:00 p.m.
or until the everything was cleaned up. All the workers ate dinner and supper at the cookhouse.
Meals and lodging were included with their wages. Rita remembers getting $60.00 a month when
she worked in the cookhouse at North Lake. The wages were very low compared to today. The
minimum wage today is $6.00 an hour, so if a worker worked a minimum wage for 8 hours they
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would get $48.00 a day. When Beatrice and Rita worked in the fish plant, they needed to save
money to help them buy things during the other months of the year. Today workers have benefits
such as Employment Insurance during the time they cannot find work.
The factory processed the whole lobster. The meat from claws, tails, arms, thumbs and legs as
well as the white meat from the body was packed in ½ pound cans. Each can would hold 3 tails, 4
claws as well as the hash (meat from thumbs, body, arms). The roe and tamale was saved and
mixed with cream of wheat to make a lobster spread. This was canned and cooked in the retort
the same as the other lobster meat. This spread was used for lobster paste in sandwiches. Some
people would mix it with canned chicken haddie to make a mock lobster filling for sandwiches. The
shells were stored in a wired framed shell pit outside the factory. Farmers would come with the
wagons and take the shells to spread on their land as fertilizer.
The cases of lobster and lobster paste would be trucked to Charlottetown to be shipped off
island. Beatrice and Rita didn’t know how much the cans would sell for in the stores. They don’t
recall seeing the cans being for sale in the stores around this area.
When asked why they went to work at the factory, they both said that it was the only means of
making money around this area at that time. When asked if they remembered what they spent
their money on, Beatrice remembers buying new curtains and blinds for her mother and father’s
house. She also remembers buying a new coat and hat for herself. Rita remembers buying clothes
and a radio for the household during the war.
The factory at East Point closed up when Johnstons were given the opportunity to purchase the
factory at North Lake. Some of the buildings were torn down but the best ones were hauled to
North Lake to be used there. Both Beatrice and Rita went to work at North Lake. The operation at
North Lake was much bigger and they remember processing codfish and mackerel during July and
August.
They remember that the work was hard but both Beatrice and Rita remember some of the fun
times they had with co-workers. They both recall one particular worker who liked to play practical
jokes on unsuspecting co-workers. The rubber boots worn during the day were left in the factory
until the next day and more than one worker found their boots nailed to the floor in the morning.
The aprons were tied on with bailer twine and often an unsuspecting worker would find the twine
cut from behind and and the apron falling on the floor. They also recall that it was a chance to
meet and socialize with other young people in the area.
Submitted by Meaghan Flynn and Andrew MacDonald
Back to Interviews
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Ronnie Campbell
Page 1 of 4
Our Interview with Ronnie Campbell
Ronnie Campbell was born on November 17, 1942 to Charles and Jenny Campbell
in Campbell’s Cove. Ronnie married Minnie MacDonald in 1967 and they had 5
children. He is now living at Fairfield with Minnie.
Ronnie was not interested in fishing when he was younger. He was brought up on
a farm and when he was a child, he dreamed of being a farmer. He decided he
wanted to be a fisherman when he was 20 years old after fishing a season with
his brother-law. Ronnie has been a fisherman for 36 years and he still fishing
today.
Ronnie has a number of brothers who are also in the fishing industry. They fish
off the North Coast of P.E.I. at North Lake Harbour. They fish a number of
species such as herring, mackerel, crab, cod and tuna, but the major fishery
they are involved with is lobster fishery. Ronnie fished lobster as his main
catch, but a lot of codfish, and mackerel. In 1980's he fished herring for 4 or
5 years, and in the 90's he fished crab. When he became a fisherman, he went
to the fisheries office in Souris and bought a license for 25 cents. Today no
new licenses are being issued except for new fisheries. The fisheries licenses
now range from $130 to $300 a year. You have to buy someone out for any
other license. Fisheries officers usually come and check once a year to make
sure you have your license. If you were caught without a renewed license, you
were put out of the water immediately. If you were caught without a license,
you were let off with a warning and next time put off the water and have to go
to court for not having your license.
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Four or five of the fishermen formed a union, to sell their fish. Today a co-op
is in operation with approximately 50 fishermen who belong to it. Ronnie got 2
cents a pound the first year, then 5 cents a pound, then 15 cents a pound for
fish. His biggest catch of lobster was 1350 pounds. Back then the average
fisherman got 65 cents a pound for their lobsters. Now they get $4 or $5 a
pound.
Ronnie got his own boat in 1966, which he called Minnie Ann. He had to fix it up.
It had a car engine and a truck transmission. Over that winter he built traps
for his the 1967 season. When he started there were 10 boats at North Lake.
Now there are over 100 boats that fish out of North Lake. He got his second
boat in 1997 and called it Fairfield Lady 1.
For supplies the fishermen had to build their own traps in the winter. They
sent all the bills to the company at North Lake who was going to buy his fish in
the spring and they took the amount of the supplies off his catch for the next
year. He started with 500 traps. The next year he set 700 traps. In 1967 the
new law was 500 traps. The maximum today is 300 traps.
There were few cars back at this time, so many of the fishermen stayed at
North Lake. They slept in a bunkhouse and ate meals at the cookhouse. Ronnie
got his breakfast at the cookhouse.
Fishermen would get up at 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning and try to be done
fishing by the afternoon. They go early because the wind would come up after
daylight. Fishermen relied on the weather signs to let them know if they should
go fishing. Some of the weather signs used to forecast the weather were: a
red sky in the evening meant a rainy day. A rainbow in the evening sailors take
leaving. A rainbow in the morning sailors take warning. Fishermen in the past
were very superstitious. They believed many things would bring bad luck. Some
of these superstitions were: never whistle in a boat, wear white mitts not gray
ones. Women were not allowed to fish because of superstition and they were
considered bad luck until the early 80's. Ronnie did not believe in superstition.
Minnie fished with him for 2 years in 1985 and 1987.
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Ronnie insists fishing isn’t any more dangerous than any other job. It was more
dangerous back then, than it is now. There is more technology to keep you safe
today. Every boat these days has radios or cell phones and bathrooms. The
boats are safer now because on board there is a life jacket for everyone. The
nearest he came to a disaster was the second year he fished. It was a bad
storm and he was in his boat down at East Point. It was the first hauling day.
He remembered being told afterwards that they needed a doghouse for that
kind of weather. A doghouse was like a cabin. He struggled but made it to
shore. He fished herring in 1965 with his brothers and remembers that one
night he was on Charlie’s boat. It was a really bad night and they were fishing
herring. The anchor pulled too far down and the boat almost tipped so they had
to save the boat and let the herring go.
His most memorable story was about a setting day and his boat broke down.
Artie Campbell pulled his boat up beside Ronnie to help him. Ronnie’s thumb was
hanging over the side. Artie’s boat smashed his thumb and Ronnie almost lost it.
His thumb is still black.
Ronnie has seen many changes in the fishing industry since he started. Years
ago lobster was not the main fishing. Codfish was the best thing to fish.
Lobster was not as processed as well as it is today. Now you have to measure
lobster once it comes out of the trap. If they are too small you throw them
back in. You have to have a tag on every trap you are going to set. "The escape
hatch is one of the greatest things that has changed since fishing started",
Ronnie said. When he started fishing, they didn’t have escape hatches. At first
lobster traps were 30 inches long and now they are 48 inches long. Back then
the bottom of the trap was loaded with small lobsters. Today the small
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lobsters go out the escape hatch. Back then the small lobsters could get eaten
on the way down to the bottom by cod and seals.
Ronnie thinks fishing is as important as it was 20 years. Ronnie wife, Minnie,
says, "Now it is more of a career." She thinks people fished years ago because
they had no other choice. Ronnie never wanted out of the career and jokes
about it and says, "Because I’m stuck with it."
Ronnie has no plans to fish after retirement. After selling his license he can’t
fish unless he has a fisherman helpers license. He can also sell his license to
the government. He thinks he will continue his hobbies after he retires. They include: repairs around the house and neighborhood, carpentry, and volunteer
work. He does not plan on retiring for at least 3 or 4 years from now. Ronnie
wishes at times that his children would follow in his footsteps.
By: Dana Roberts and Tiffany Gregory
Back to Interviews
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07/10/2011
Waldron Rose
Page 1 of 3
Waldon Rose
Bringing Back Memories
Waldon Rose was born in East Baltic in 1932 to Olive and Wallace Rose. He was one of
twelve children. Waldon started fishing in 1963 at North Lake Harbour. He is now retired
but enjoys building traps for his son and son-in-law. He also helps his wife do the house
chores. He is very glad that he is not lobster fishing anymore.
Lobster fishing or any kind of fishing is a lot of work. Waldon decided to fish because he
had no other job. He needed something to do and he thought that it would be interesting.
He first started when he was thirty years old. Waldon said that when he first starting
fishing, a fishing licenses was 25 cents and now it is about $500 to $600 depending on
your licenses.
When Waldon first started fishing, the size of the boat was around 30 feet and now the
length of the boats are 40-45 feet. Boats were built of wood when he first started
fishing and now they are built of both wood and fiberglass. The cost of his boat was
between $700-$1,000. Boats today cost around $75,000. The only equipment that they
had on their boat back then was a compass compared to all the modern technology of
today.
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The trap size when he started fishing was 28 inches. Today it is 48 to 50 inches. There
was no limit on how many traps you were allowed to fish in the 1980’s and now you are only
allowed to fish 300 traps at a time.
The bait used in the lobster traps is the same as now: herring and mackerel.
The price paid for fish has also changed, Canners were 36 cents and now they have gone
up to $4.65 a pound. Markets were 44 cents and they are now $6.50 a pound.
Every morning Waldon got up very early and started fishing at five am until twelve noon.
They might have to stay out late depending on the weather.
There is one experience that Waldon will never forget! One day he was out at sea by
himself and he got his foot caught in the rope. As soon as he noticed it, he struggled to
get his foot out. Luckily God helped him get through it okay. He was not harmed in the
mishap.
Some of the biggest changes that Waldon has seen over the years include: not having to
fish alone, the trap limit, the equipment, and the electronics.
Waldon Rose was 67 years old when he retired. His reason for retirement was that he
wanted to spend more time with his family.
The fishing industry for Waldon has provided a good living for his family. He has raised
three children and they are very proud of their father.
By Paige Mackenzie
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Waldron Rose
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Weston Coffin
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Weston Coffin
Did you ever wonder what it was like to be a fisherman in 1970 compared to 2001? We
have found out some interesting information from a local fisherman who was fishing then
and is now still fishing. His name is Weston Coffin. He was born in Souris, P. E. I. on July
7th, 1942.
In 1970, he began his fishing career after spending a short time fishing his brother’s,
fleet who had been sick and in the hospital. He already had 5 brothers in the business at
that time. They were Stanley, Preston, Lee, Stewart, and Sheldon. They all helped
encourage him to join the industry. He enjoyed fishing and purchased his own fleet in the
year 1970.
Weston’s first boat was built in Nova Scotia. It was a wooden boat and he named it after
his mother Louise C who had died. He felt proud and happy with his first boat. Later on
he sold this boat to a fisherman in the Magdalene Islands and had a new one built.
His fishing career in the 70’s began with a lobster license which cost him 25 cents and
now he is still fishing lobster in 2001 with fishing licenses costing $575.00.
In the earlier years of fishing, they would fish with 400 small traps and haul the traps
into the boat by hand. Today there is a limit of 300 traps but the traps are also built
bigger and the equipment of a mechanical hauler is now inserted in the boats making the
job easier.
The lobster season runs for two months and fishermen put in long hours from early
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morning around 430 A.M. until 100 P.M. depending on the weather. Sometimes fishermen
would have to wait until the wind went down and then go out for the day. Then when they
came home they would have to think of where they were going to get the bait for the
traps for the next day. Sometimes, they would go out to the brooks and catch their own
gaspereau or set nets for their own bait.
The technology in the boats is much more advanced today than in the earlier years. Years
ago fishermen went by land marks to set and find their gear. Today, fishermen have a
GPS which is a piece of equipment uses satellites to help locate traps. They drop their
traps into the water and enter the buoy number into the computer (GPS), then the next
day, they enter the buoy number again, and it will show them where their traps are
located. The boats are also equiped with depth sounders which show the fishermen the
bottom of the ocean where the rocks are . Some of the sounders show fishermen a mark
which represents tuna, mackeral or other bait in the water. These are all modern
technologies which were not available to the fishermen in the 1970’s. Then, fishermen
relied on their memory and land marks to find their gear.
The boats of today are better equipped with safety devices. Some examples are, that
they have life rafts, fire extinguishers and radars as the fishermen of today go farther
from their home ports to fish. The fishermen themselves must take safety courses and
be certified in First Aid and CPR.
The Department of Fisheries have strict guidelines now compared to years ago. The
lobster traps are now equipped with an escape hatch which allows the undersize lobster’s
to escape safely back into the water to grow to a bigger size before they are able to be
sold.
Weston tells us although there were good times in the fisheries, there were also some
very bad times. Weather is one of the biggest factors. He remembers in the eighties
when there were three bad storms which wiped out almost all of his fleet that he set.
They spent many hours repairing what was left of the traps, only to again face another
storm and before the season of two months was up, he would be facing damage from a
third storm. Also not only the traps were damaged but the storms caused the run at the
North Lake Harbour to fill with sand making the coming in and going out of fishing boats
very dangerous. Because of this, two young fishermen lost their lives trying to reach port.
Weston says that was the worst year of his fishing career.
The price of lobster back when Weston first started was 55 cents a pound and last year
they averaged $5.00 per lb. Back in the seventies they could buy more supplies for a
dollar than they can buy today. The price of fuel, insurance and equipment was much less
as well.
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When asked about tuna, Weston tells us, "There is much more advanced equipment. Men
are traveling further to try to catch the great tuna and the price of them is certainly
better now." The fishermen have learned better ways to catch and care for their species
of fish, and by doing this, they received a better price for their products.
When asked if he were to relive his life, would he still be a fisherman and why, his
response was "Yes, you have to think of fishing as your business. You must work hard at
it. Know what you are achieving, and where your money is being spent. You must keep a
good set of books for your fishing business as you have to be accountable to Revenue
Canada when they audit you for income tax." Weston tells us the love of the water and
the fishing has provided him and his family with a good home, and money to provide food
and education for his children.
When asked if retirement was in the future he tells us," Yes at the age of 61 or 62, if my
health permits me to work. Then I will gladly retire and hope to enjoy good health and
happiness."
By Marla Coffin and Meaghan Flynn
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