It was pretty humbling to learn about the pain, struggling, and growth that Steveston had gone through. My group started at the Fisherman’s memorial. Nestled in a park off the coast, stood a fish net mending needle to remember the deaths of fishermen who had lost their lives at sea due to their profession. On a granite wall which encircled the needle we noticed engraved names. Upon closer inspection every name had various nationalities, the sea did not discriminate. Laying upon one of the walls was a bouquet of white flowers, to commemorate the lives of the fishermen. Contrasting with the memorial needle was the backdrop of the ocean and sandy sloped beaches. Littered across the beach were various large pieces of fishing related paraphernalia, which served to emphasize the impact that the ocean has on people and the impact that people have on the ocean.
We later travelled to the docks where we spoke with Eric Wickham. The ocean is a vast and diverse resource that can provide bountiful sustenance for centuries. However, it totally depends on how well we manage our reliance and harvesting. Decades of abuse and belligerent fishing have ravaged wild fish stocks. With fortunes to be made in the fishing industry, Eric recounted the stories of how herring fishers have historically been able to make 1 million dollars in a single harvest.
With those funds, some fishermen were able to invest in larger, more invasive fishing boats. The ocean gives and we take; and while we push the boundaries further and farther, fish stocks wither and suffer. The amount of effort required to catch the same amount of biomass is ever increasing. This ties in to how government subsidies are required to make fishing profitable for fishermen; but even so, smaller family owned boats are often unable to make ends meet and are still forced to find ways out of the industry. The only ones able to survive are large commercial vessels owned by ‘big money’. Steveston’s fleet of thousands has been reduced to a commercially viable few.
When I think of harmful fishing I instantly think of overfishing. What else can ruin a fishery than to reduce its wild population into nothing? Eric reflected on the productivity of Goose Island bank where over a billion pounds of halibut were caught off the coast of Haida Gwaii. Not only were they fished to oblivion in the 70’s, but the advance of bottom trawling led to an unprecedented shift in the ecosystem. Bottom trawling is a relatively new development in fishing and its ability to scour the bottom for fish was unparalleled.
By the 80’s Goose Island bank had been overfished and the fated billion pounds of halibut which were once caught was never seen again. What people might argue is the ability for the ocean to recover. And this is true, if we were to leave everything alone; the ocean can often heal. However, permanent damage is permanent and once we have tipped past the threshold, no amount of time can fix it. This was the case with Goose Island. Not only did we decimate halibut stocks in the region but the physical environment had changed as well. Intense bottom trawling had removed all the gravel bottoms which halibut had previously loved. In their wake was a swath of muddy flats which tended towards skate dominated ecosystems. No degree of time would bring back the halibut, and no amount of human intervention would significantly fix the seafloor. Essentially this area was ruined. Stories like these are harrowing tales of human impacts and examples as to how our choices can lead to permanent changes in the ocean.
Eric made a powerful statement, “garbage in; garbage out”. Owing to the isolation of fishery decision makers in Ottawa, Eric referred to the fact that the DFO relies too heavily on virtual data and automated analysis. How could we possibly adequately manage a resource when the regulations are based on incorrect data in the first place? This reminds me of how the previous Atlantic cod fishery used poor data and fished the stocks into a crash. A staggering point he made was how poorly fishery observers are paid and protected. These observers are meant to represent the government and collect data for analysis. However, without safety measures, these individuals are at mercy to the fishing crews. Amanda mentioned that observers are known to have high mortality at sea in other countries, so it is no wonder that the data they collect could be skewed. Furthermore, Eric mentioned that fishermen can request the same observer, supplement the observer with crew bonuses, and even override the validity of the observer’s documentation. Eric exclaimed that BC’s observer program merely acts as a political farce to placate those who call for greater fishery management and scrutiny. In Alaska, their program is not only more effective but safer! Eric mentioned that not only are there two observers per vessel, there are satellite phones and gps coordinates to ensure their safety.
The visit to the cannery also highlighted the otherwise hidden oppression I had not previously seen. I had already known about the large Japanese population, but I hadn’t considered the Chinese or Indigenous peoples. Not only was hearing about the wage inequality between Indigenous women and Japanese women infuriating, but also was learning of how generations of Japanese people had their belongings seized and were either sent to internment camps or deported to Japan. I recall Dr. Reid’s sentiment that it was difficult when the “community does not want you”. Although her statement was in regards to Indigenous issues, I still believe that it remains relevant for this particular example. People of Japanese descent, who potentially were 2nd generation Canadians having never set foot in Japan, were forcibly removed from their homes in Canada and deported to Japan! To be punished and prosecuted for your heritage, whether it be Indigenous or Japanese, is devastatingly atrocious.