spike christopher
2010-01-25 04:50:08
I heard John at sss moved to Silver Sea, is that true? does anyone know if that will handicap those not belonging to SPC. Is there a new manager in the making.
Salty
2010-01-25 05:39:10
Yes, when I unloaded yesterday, the staff told me John Hickman had moved to Silver Bay and they did not know who his replacement would be. Sitka Sound was open and buying winter kings and giving out ice.
Too bad the weather is predicted bad until at least Friday, it was nice to finally get one.
Seems like we are losing buyers at a rapid rate here in Sitka. Absolute Fresh Fish, Baranof, Alaska Queen, Marti. Wonder if some of the SSS seiners and longliners will follow John to Silver Bay. They have not been buying troll salmon to my knowledge.
Co-op seems to be doing well by us members though. Hope they can keep it up with the volume of black cod and halibut declining.
spike christopher
2010-01-25 13:20:16
Salty, now is your chance. Please apply for the managers job, it would be nice to get a fisherman in there. Of course this is all said with tongue in cheek.
Salty
2010-01-25 15:01:11
Me a manager???
First move would be to start paying fishermen for quality and early deliveries. Pipette bled Chinook in top quality condition with no bruising and all their scales delivered the day they were caught would be worth more than four day old, partially scaled, bruised, bloody ones.
Second move would be to set up unloading by appointment. With the modern communications why do we have to quit fishing, run into sight of the dock, and then wait to unload??
Third move would be set up ice delivery at the unloading hoists for those who are ready to take ice while the fish ticket is being written up.
Fourth move would be to prohibit ice removal and scrub down at the hoist if others have an appointment or are waiting for you.
Fifth move would be to get high quality hoses, the pressure washers the chum fleet asked for at SPC and now the whole fleet uses for example, without holes in them for the guys who are washing down as their fish are unloaded.
Sixth move would be to reduce the grades of fish. I onetime went to Harold Thompson and pointed out he had something like 56 grades of Troll Chinook. Over time I would bet the fleet averages almost exactly the same number of 11-18 and 18 ups. I love the winter straight prices. I can see some differentiation due to day of delivery, dark vs brite, and # 2's but otherwise we should have a straight price.
Other ideas for the new manager?
spike christopher
2010-01-25 18:24:23
Well there you have it, sounds like that would be a way of improving everything. I once went to see Doug at BFF and showed him how I handled my fish and asked for five cent above going price. He said he was impressed but won't do it as everyone would be demanding the same price know matter what. I was taking up to a minute longer to clean my silvers than normal using the pressure bleeding system. A 100 plus silvers makes the day a hour and a half longer, a big difference at the end of the day. I went back to he old way for one day and felt so bad about the product that I just said to myself that I couldn't do it. This year I am thinking on putting in a simple refrigeration system to hold my ice better. It is hard to keep good ice in the bottom of the totes. I have two large totes in the fish hole but it makes it a little crowded when working down there. My totes on deck work ok but it still takes a lot of extra work to do it right. Where I fish (south of Sandy Bay) it takes awhile to travel back to Sitka and return. I'm hoping to get another day or so with the refrigeration. Also Salty if you read this would you contact me at my email spikechristopher@hotmail.com I need to ask you some questions on the chum fishery.