Where fishing matters

Southern Harbour goes quietly about its business, if only because its business is fishing.

With over 50 boats tied up at its shores, the town prides itself on remaining a prosperous fishing community.

Souther Harbour has a population of over 400. And every boat is owned by a resident.

Local fisherman Eric Pendergast wants nothing more than to dispel the myth that the Newfoundland fishery is in ruins. He wants to make it known there's a future on the ocean, and not only for oil tankers.

"Southern Harbour is the biggest fishing community in Placentia Bay.

"It's always been the same here, even when the cod fishery closed down in '94. The cod trap fishery - that was one of the biggest years they had."

Last fall, Pendergast says they hauled more cod up to the wharf than ever before. About 40,000 lb a day was landed.

"Most of them here still makes good money. A few of the boys are after adding second enterprises," he notes.

He's been in the fishing industry for some 30 years. Due to problems with his back, he's been ashore for the past two.

Government control

Although the fishery is thriving, the town can't help but feel it's living in the shadow of the refinery.

"We've been unnoticed. We just go unassuming. There's nothing being said about us," Pendergast argues. "Danny Williams, he haven't got the oil out of his eyes yet. He's still neglecting the fishing industry."

Randy Best is a local fisherman who also serves on the town council.

He says the wharf's offloading facility isn't up to par. They need more funding for that. They're also trying to get money from the government to renovate the fisherman's centre, where all their gear is stored. As well, there's not enough room for the boats to dock when they're all ashore, although a new wharf was constructed just last year.

"The government don't care about ya half the time. We ask for stuff and we almost have to beg to get it," Pendergast says. "It took us about 10 years to get a wharf for some of the boats. We had a storm here and boats were damaged that never should have been damaged."

For what they contribute to the province's economy, Pendergast says the town isn't getting its fair share of funding.

"All they've got to look at is what we put in. Crab is somewhere around $2 million a year landed by our fishermen and cod is close to a million or better. Still, the government don't look at that."

Best finds frustration in the fact that fishermen have no control. What he's getting for his catch makes the effort he puts in irrelevant.

"In 1991 I was trappin' cod, and you take the fish out of the trap and heave it in the hold of the boat. There was no guts took out of it, it wasn't washed, iced or nothing else. You come in and you sell it and you got 35 cents for it. Today, now we've got to gut it, wash it, pack it in ice and still we're only getting' 35 cents. And I bet there's no difference in the price at the market," Best shakes his head.

"Something's wrong with the system somewhere."

Both agree something has to be put into place so that the price of fish is set before seasons start, to ensure it's worthwhile to go at it.

"It's always, they wants to do a study. We knows what needs to be done but they wants to waste time and money on a study," noting the recent announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding between the province, the fishermen's union and fish processors to work towards a restructuring plan for the fishing industry. The process will involve working groups, each one to focus on a different aspect of the fishery, reporting to a steering committee which will make recommendations to the provincial government.

Pendergast's advice is simple, "We don't want to lose what we've got."

Future

Southern Harbour currently has no more than three or four fishermen under the age of 30.

They're losing the majority of their young people to skilled trades.

"The young fellas just aren't gettin' back into it. The enterprises are there and it's a lot of hard work, but it's still a good living. And you don't have to go away," Pendergast points out.

He's convinced the government is trying to wash its hands of the fishery - make it so one big boat catches what 50 might otherwise. And that would certainly spell the end of a town like Southern Harbour, which relies solely on fishing.

Pendergast says he'd like to see the province promoting the industry for the younger generations and making it easier for them to get out on the water, without going over their heads in debt.

But he's not hopeful about that.

The only point he can make is that the Newfoundland fishery isn't as dead as it may seem.

"It's in our blood. It's not something we all have to do; it's something we love to do. I'm over two years, can't get out in the boat and I might jump over the wharf one of these days.

"We don't make a fortune and we're not all millionaires but we makes a good living. We got money in our pockets and we got what we want."

gsimms@thepacket.ca