Page 82 - George Leonard & the Fish Business

ISSUE : Issue 69

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1995/8/1

George's father, George Leonard Sr. (front left), with the office staff in North Sydney, 1946 ther telling me that they went to Ottawa in the 1930's, when the fishing draggers were first starting out. I don't know if they were invented then, but they must have been really starting to build quite a few. And, objecting to beat hell about these draggers being built, that they were going to tear the bottom all up, and that they were going to ruin the fishing industry. And 60 years later, roughly, that's exactly what's hap? pened. It took 50 or 60 years. But what they were fighting against at that time-- really, the wheel turned. They were right. And if it was me.... The Department of Fisheries, of course, and the government, want to play games. What they should be doing is getting rid of all these big draggers. They're tied up everywhere now. They may just as well call it quits. If you go over to Louisbourg, there's 6 or 7 of them, all rusting and tied to the wharf over there. And they're everywhere like • OPEN EVERY DAY: 9:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. _ j'i'''i!0mmmiiiiB&m;>j'}' ' mmrmmmm ''':'mt] Country • JBluegrass • Rock • Folk Fiddle and Newfoundland Music Largest Atlantic Region Music selection in Eastem Canada. Tap your toe to Cape Breton & Newfoundland Fiddle, Accordion & Folk Music, & "Down East" Presentations. Write or asl< for our list of Newfoundland & Maritime Music. ~ Available by Mail Order ~ 2 miles south of CHETICAMP, on the Cabot Trail P.O.Box516, Cheticamp, NS BOE IHO • Ph: (902)224-3782 that. And never license them to go back to sea again. Or if they do license them, to go way off on the Banks and leave the fishery to the hook-and-line fishermen. It's easier said than done, for several rea? sons. And one is that the hook-and-line fishery is hard work. For starters. Not as hard as it used to be, but it's still hard work. But that's the only way they're going to bring the fishery back, I think, is to very carefully regulate the hook-and-line fishery, and get rid of the larger draggers at the same time. They're saying themselves, they've got too many people chasing too few fish. There's no doubt about that.... Because, when I first started--before me, all the fish that were landed at these North Sydney plants were basically landed from what they used to call Newfoundland jack boats. That would come over here in the fall of the year and in the spring. They had dories aboard--two men, two do? ries, on each boat. They would put their trawl overboard from the dories. There was a hook every 4 feet, if I remember right? ly. And they used to buy bait. They used to use herring, frozen herring, for bait. And they'd catch codfish. But the interesting size of the cod? fish was much, much larger than they're catching today. And it's shocking to look at some of the pictures that come on televi? sion showing some of these draggers dragging this stuff aboard, by the hundred thou? sand pounds or fifty thousand pounds to a drag- ger, whatever. The interesting part is not the number of fish but part of that is, the Evangeline Restaurant CHETICAMP Our Specialty • Homemade Soup, Meat Pies & Fruit Pies • FULL MENU • OPEN YEAR ROUND: Sun. - Thurs. 6:30 a.m. -11:00 p.m. Friday 6:30 a.m. -12:30 a.m. Saturday 6:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. WE ACCEPT VISA/MASTERCARD 224-2044 WE WELCOME GROUPS UP TO 50 PEOPLE ??'Aiik • e Diuieei 9iiii * Modem rooms, with picturesque view of Cheticamp Island and the Cape Breton Highlands nestled in the background * Private bath and cable T. V. * Continental Brealrfast * Relax on our sundeck, while admiring our breathtaking view VISA/MASTERCARD/AMERICAN EXPRESS • WHEELCHAIR ACCESS Proprietors: P. O. Box 776, CHETICAMP, NS BOE IHO Ronnie & Adele Doucet PHONE (902) 224-3438 • FAX (902) 224-2792 Welcome to Over 200 Years of Tradition... 82

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