Page 73 - George Leonard & the Fish Business

ISSUE : Issue 69

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1995/8/1

to fill them out. A word like "plant"--"A plant was here." What is a plant?) Well, that's probably you would say an old word used for a manufacturing operation. In the fish business, we called it "plants!" Cor- Worklng In the fish plant (both photos by Abbass) rectly or incorrectly, that was just the name that was used. When you were in the fish business, you called everybody's op? eration a plant. (The other word is "operation.") Well, a plant would be considered a complete oper? ation. From having the boats bring in the raw product, the raw fish. And taking the fish itself. In most cases you would--not every case, certainly--you'd be filleting the fish. And you would be taking that and either smoking it and even? tually freezing it, or freezing it, or selling it as fresh fillets. And we used to ship carloads of fresh fish out every day. At least a carload a day, lots of times. (A carload--you mean a railroad car?) A railroad car, yeah. Railway was a big business in this area at one time. Express--a lot of fish went by express. And an awful lot went by full freight cars. And then eventually the truckers, trucking took over. And most of the swordfish went to Boston. Amazing, amazing business. There used to be boats coming from everywhere. We used to have buying stations--not only for swordfish but for other fish. We used to buy swordfish in Louisbourg --this is seasonal, of course--this would be sum? mertime. In Louisbourg, Glace Bay, here in North Sydney. And we were in In? gonish, in the swordfish business--buying stations. And we were in Dingwall, we were in Neil's Harbour. Then we used to buy mackerel in Cheticamp. And we used to get fish from Inverness and Mabou, over there. It was all trucked here to North Sydney and processed. It was an interesting business at the time, for sure. (If someone asked you what you did for a living, how would you refer to yourself, then?) Plant manager. Well, I started at 17 years old, from the bottom up, learning how to filet fish and all of this sort of stuff. Worked in the cold storage. And then I eventually ended up in our shipping office, where there was one man who had a lot of experience, actually with the CN Rail.... But he was a real interesting in? dividual. He used to say, "Young man," he'd say, "life is real, life is earnest, and don't you forget it!" George laughs. (Did you actually fish?) Oh no, no, no. Well, I have been. We used to have to go Swordfish was a big, big business, particularly by truck. And that seemed to get them really established. Schooner Village Gift Shop Clan Regalia Tartans Celtic Music Woolens Books Souvenirs Jewelry Sweats and T-Shirts Waxed Field Jackets LADIES' TARTAN KILTS $99.95 (GST included) The Hungry Piper cafe and Tea Room for Moming Coffee, Cafe Lunches, and Aftemoon Teas ... try our famous CABOT TRAIL OATCAKES and SCOTTISH SCONES • PIPER ON STAFF • "Thigibh asteach, bniidhinnibh gaidhlig 's bi cuppa cofaidh no ti saor an asgaidh 'na chois" at the bridge -MARGAREE HARBOUR ~ corner of Cabot and CeiUdh TraUs OPEN DAILY • 9 to 5 • LATE JUNE to NOVEMBER 1 Dine aboard a real ship • The Schooner Restaurant and Lounge for fine food and drink aboard Canada's oldest saltbank schooner at the bridge ~ MARGAREE HARBOUR ~ corner of Cabot and CeUidh Trails OPEN DAILY • 5 p.m. to Midnight • • LATE JUNE to THANKSGIVING 73

Cape Breton's Magazine