I’d never heard of anyone having a boat widened before.
This was my introduction to Rebekah Pesicka in Gus’s pub in Port McNeill. I found it difficult to imagine that doing such a thing would result in anything good. I was wrong.
Rebekah is an owner/operator of two boats based out of Sointula, East of PortMcNeil on Malcom Island. She invited me to photograph the unloading of her larger boat – a vessel that used to be her father’s – at Port McNeil early one morning this January.
Early for me that is. Not for her or Luke her deck hand, or the shore crew of course.
Packing boats provide extra carrying capacity to the fleet. Assuming there are plenty of fish to catch (not always the case,) the amount of money any fishing vessel can make on any given day is restricted by its carrying capacity and the value of the species being targeted. Ideally, you want to maximize your carrying capacity and target high value species in order to maximize the overall value of the catch.
So it is worthwhile for fishing – or in this case – urchin harvesting vessels to pay for capacity on packing boats that they can transfer their overflow catch to. This allows them to maximize their take on a given day and return home safely.
Japanese techniques for harvesting urchins using were introduced initially but divers here switched to scuba early on. Its an interesting example of a relatively lucrative way of making a living by taking a species that most agree is invasive and a threat to the marine ecosystem – urchins eat kelp, and kelp is good for the environment – as a nursery for small fish and as a sink for absorbing greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
Urchin harvesting can be a lucrative if physically demanding business. Boats deploy divers to scavenge for urchins which are brought aboard in net bags.
After the unloading, Rebekah invited me aboard for breakfast and I talked with her and Luke about their lives and fishing industry in Coastal BC.
I asked Rebekah how it has been for her as a woman in what most would view as a masculine dominated industry. She told me that she had never had a problem getting respect as the daughter of a fisherman and that crews accepted her role as skipper because of her competence. In her experience, the fishing industry has been a meritocracy that has allowed her independence and success on her own terms.
The main subject of discussion though was the market for fishing licenses that she and Luke say are pricing locals out of the opportunity to become owner/operators. We also talked briefly about her view that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) could do better to enter into constructive dialog with fisherman rather than simply enforcing rules.
Luke expressed a similar view to Salmon Farm protestor Molina, that he and his generation were being priced out of the future by the high cost of entry into the industry.
Overall I was given a view of the life of someone working in the fishing industry as one built on uncertainty – a natural, even addicting aspect of the business that is being exacerbated by a market that has been created in the buying and selling of fishing licenses, doubt about the future of the ecosystem and government agencies with little interest in engaging with locals in the industry even if there were more of them to engage with.
Rebekah is also an artist with dreams of a Pacific coastal culture awakening – a roving arts and culture tour that will bind Pacific communities together.
The boat’s pilot house was a comfortable place to spend a cold morning talking about all this. A place of work humanized by long use as a refuge from the elements, and Rebekah and Luke’s warm hospitality.
Rebekah’s other boat is a shrimp boat – something I want to learn more about. I’m looking forward to catching up with her again.
Did You Know
The correct title for a female fisherman is “fisherman” not “fisher” or “fisherwoman.” Women in the industry feel they have earned the right to use the same title that men have been using for years and in their eyes using it give them equality.
Environmental Impacts
Urchins as a species can be destructive if numbers get out of control. Urchins eat kelp – a keystone species that supports marine ecosystems in a variety of ways. It may follow that some urchin harvesting may be used to help reduce negative impacts on kelp forests. Some experiments are underway to this effect but it is not necessarily the case.
Shrimp harvesting is a controversial industry globally and can have a range of negative ecological and socio-economic impacts, including some of the highest by-catch rates of any target species. Shrimp harvesting in the US and Canada is strictly regulated however.
Health Impacts
Eating locally sourced seafood is often healthier, has fewer “food miles” on it and is less likely to be mislabelled. Proponents of locally sourced food, in general, believe this to be true of most types of food. While this is disputed in farming given the high percentage of greenhouse gas emissions generated by the processes of growing crops or raising livestock, this is not the case for seafood.
Lessons Learned
Coastal communities often harbor creative people with a tough state of mind, but ensuring a bright future for them requires a socio-economic environment where young people can foresee becoming owner-operators of their own vessels. There are good reasons to suppose that local owner-operators will more readily embrace sustainable fishing practices, provide a healthier product and have a less severe ecological impact than industrial-scale harvesting.
What You Can Do
Support local owner-operators by asking for locally sourced seafood. Find out what issues affect the quality of seafood in your area and buy accordingly.
