Diversification – Rebuilding the inshore fishery and regaining control – Ryan Everard
It is too bad the young, educated people in the inshore have been forced out of the apprenticeship program for the last 30 years when the people on larger boats had a choice. The fishery would be in a much different state today if they had to have a choice.
I’m going outside the box and throwing myself out there, but when people say it’s impossible to represent three different groups, I beg to differ because I have seen it done since 2005, when the PFHCB involuntary forced me out of the program (not out of the boat) because I couldn’t survive on 10k during a hypothetical fishing season that was removed from the industry in 1997. (Besides for new entrants that they should have been trying to retain).
Everyone on a supply boat all get paid differently and things that work for one don’t always work for the other, but they have a world class operation. The difference is our outside industries thrive off young fishers producing results. As a diversified fisher I know the importance of following core values (honesty, integrity, respect, empathy & financial discipline) to overcome challenges and allow us to work together successfully and make our companies and industries competitive and financially rewarding.
I grew up on EI and it kept food on our table all winter long, so I know the importance of it, but I don’t believe it should continue to be a mandatory requirement for young inshore fishers in the apprenticeship program if they want to advance and become and independent enterprise owner. The reality is the price of crab or lobster is volatile, when the money coming in from EI is not. No one in the provincial government can forecast a budget based on crab because the price is volatile, but the money coming into the province from EI is not.
On the contrary everyone reading this can develop a provincial budget based on EI because with a quick search there’s no problem to add up the new dollars coming from Canada. Just like the province, I understand the importance of EI because it keeps our small rural communities alive all winter long. The province needs it just as much, so it’s rightfully not going away, but that doesn’t mean it should be a mandatory requirement for the young, educated people in the apprenticeship program that can take bank control from the merchants (ASP). It’s our families helping hand and has been since confederation, but it’s also the provincial government’s golden goose, so they love to see the industry suppressed and fight with each other so they can concentrate on building their budget.
Many of us quit school and were forced into fishing boats, but that isn’t the case for very many of us since the mid 90’s. The only way we are going to rebuild the inshore is if we start promoting the rule that some shore skipper designed solely for himself in 1992 and is still protecting it today.
I can assure you real full-time fishermen like my Uncle Tom Best or my father certainly weren’t the ones that said it was ok in 97 for fishermen to start working full time outside the fishery and operate their own licences with a permanent designated operator as they sit behind a desk and work full time for the entire year.
The rule was initially designed to protect our fishing families, but now some shore-skipper is manipulating it to his own advantage to destroy the rest of us equally and build his empire. His offspring can own my fathers license and work for me, but I got to become unemployed for five years to deter me from competing with them for what is mine. That is only the half of it because when he decided it was ok for him to assign a permanent designated operator for now and forever he also decided that the rest of us could only assign one for a maximum of five years if we happen to get sick.
They might be great fathers and great people, but I don’t need them protecting my interests because I’m ok with making my own decisions and deciding my own future. They may be out to protect their own interest, but I’m out to protect my family and apply retribution for people like my forefathers in the pic who never had a choice. We are only worthless if we let people tell us we are. This guy may not of had an option, but many of us do now so it’s time we took control over the Association of seafood producers (ASP / Merchants).
Ryan Everard (Certified Fishing Master)
Skipper <40’ fleet.
Petty Harbour Nl
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