"We take people that was never to sea before and we put 'em to work in one of the roughest environments in the world with basically no training." Captain of a seep-sea trawler
"Your know the machinery's everywhere. We had one fella that last trip, he got his jammed in the roller."
Deckhand
"When the trawl went out there was too much slack on her and the rope was around my fingers and burned them [fingertips] right off."
Deckhand
Every year more men are maimed and killed while deep-sea fishing than in any other industry in Canada. Yet, until recently, these casualties were largely ignored by government and labour. In interviews with fishers and their families, scallopers, engineers, fish plant owners, and other whose livelihoods are hostage to the fishery, this book examines the hazardous and physically demanding occupation of deep-sea fishing.
A complex and fascinating picture emerges: the sea is inherently dangerous and good fishers are, by definition, preoccupied with safety. As both owners and skippers point out, it is the 'best seamen (the most safety-conscious) who make the most money. Novice fishers are a danger to themselves and other: they "get in such queer wrong places."
Of Related Interest:
Terra Nova The Ethos and Luck of Deep-Sea Fishermen
Joseba Zalaika
Dire Straits The Dilemmas of a Fishery: The Case of Digby Neck and the Islands
Anthony Davis
Port o'Call Memories of the Portuguese White Fleet in St. John's, Newfoundland Priscilla Dike
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All Prices are in Canadian Dollars
