Rivers in our region our teeming with gaspereau, which have arrived a week earlier than usual.
David Thompson, a Saint John fisherman, woke up early Wednesday to get to the fish before the birds.
“We had to beat the cormorants,” says Thompson. “The cormorants are here at about daylight, about 15 minutes after daylight. So you got to beat the cormorants or you’ll have a net full of cormorants.”
Fishermen like Bill Ford say they are carrying out an annual tradition that is sometimes overlooked in the city.
“To me, that’s one of the first things that happened here in Saint John,” he says. “People started fishing, making a living, then bartering.”
Fishermen are receiving around 60 cents a pound for the fish this year. Ford says some gaspereau go to Prince Edward Island for lobster bait, but much of the catch is shipped to Haiti.
“They salt it down and send it to Haiti, so there’s still a market there,” says Thompson.
Thompson says the job is particularly hard on the hands and repetitive strain injuries are common, however he takes pride in the work he does.
“Not too many people can make a living off the land, you know,” says Thompson. “We lobster, we scallop, we fish gaspereau and shad. I got two young crew eager to work, they want to work, so we put them to work. At least it keeps them from going out west.”
The fishermen need to make the most of the season, for in a few weeks it will all be over.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Mike Cameron
