lone eagle
2012-04-04 21:47:56
I was in Prince Rupert in '95 , the dock there was not best place for an American to be! I had an American boat but an English accent which saved the day (so I was told) . Canadian civil sensibilities tested again.
Abundance
2012-04-05 04:03:18
The Canadian fishermen on here seem to be reasonable, peaceable human beings the same as most of us. I was just a little kid when the last issues occurred, and we just happened to be driving through Canada at the time. I was too small to really remember anything major, but I do remember my Dad taking me to the side and making sure that I never told any one around the docks that I was American, and tried as best he could to explain to me why. I had never had to be cautious around strangers, so it was a very strange thing to me. Anyway, that is all that I remember about it. I do not know anything about this issue except what I have read in the papers, but it does seem a little drastic on our part to simply put a stop to it for a year, and maybe more. It doesn't seem to much different than shutting the salmon fishery here down anywhere south of Yakutat. Maybe they do need to start fishing their waters more, but just dropping a bomb on the negotiations is a bit much. My guess is that, frustrated and somewhat desperate, the fishermen are trying the make their point in an aggressive fashion. I know that about half the people at my dock would the same in their position. The biggest problem for me is that they are unlikely to inconvenience even one of the persons that is behind their issues, but innocents just trying to get on with life. Those are my thoughts, for what the are worth. I am a bit afraid of how this conversation might go, if people from opposing sides begin to argue. Lets all just remember that we have the same motivations for untying from the dock, have the same hopes when we put down the gear, and the same desires for the future, even if it doesn't always seem like it.
lone eagle
2012-04-06 00:42:08
Just a thought...It would be a hard fight for the govt to move to limited entry or a moratorium in the albacore fishery when foreign nationals are allowed access. Lets hope the albacore swim north..