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Of the three commercial fishing methods used in BC - gillnetting, purse seining and trolling - trolling is the least efficient and accounts for only about 15 per cent of the total catch of salmon. But although the quantity of fish caught is smaller, the quality of coho and spring salmon hooked on trolling lines is much higher as they are unmarked by net or gaff. Fish caught by trolling command premium prices. Modern trollers are crewed by one or two fishers who handle the boat, lines, and catch. The boats trail eight to ten lines, each with up to ten lures attached to tall poles. The poles extend at a 45-degree angle, spreading the lines and keeping them from tangling. Gurdies (power winches) control the lines and reel them in individually so the fish can be removed as soon as they are caught. During the height of the fishing industry in the 1970s, over 6,000 trollers fished the waters of Georgia Strait between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland. Boats averaged 40 feet in length, with galley stoves and all the comforts of home. Stabilizers kept them steady in rough seas while electronic gear located the fish and aided navigation. Although trollers today have the advantage of technology, their job still requires tough manual labour in rough seas and gale-force winds. But, to find truly difficult and dangerous working conditions, we need only examine the lives of hand trollers who fished along the coast 60 years ago.
Georgia Strait, Vancouver Island, 1935 |
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