When you think of the fishing industry do you think only of an unhealthy cod sector? Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes in the development of new fisheries? Well, if you attended the recent CAFID Annual Review meeting held in Corner Brook this week, you need wonder no more.

The two-day conference of the Canada/Newfoundland Cooperation Agreement for Fishing Industry Development brought together representatives from the provincial and federal governments as well as people from the harvesting, processing and marketing sectors, regional development agencies and individuals from the industry service sector to discuss projects that CAFID has undertaken in the past year.

Many of the project investigations looked at harvesting unusual seafood species such as sea cucumber, whelk, seaweed and hagfish. Others concentrated on innovative methods of harvesting more familiar species such as shrimp.

People who have been commercially involved in the seafood industry for years as harvesters or processors of traditional species gave presentations on topics that are new to them through their involvement with projects in part sponsored by CAFID.

Hibbert Caines of Pool's Cove, a longtime cod and herring fisherman, gave a presentation on the research he has been doing on the production and harvesting of herring roe, or eggs, on different species of kelp. Herring "roe-on-kelp", as it is called, is produced naturally when herring deposit eggs on kelp during the spawning process. This product can be sold to Japanese wholesalers for up to $10 (U.S.) per pound.

Larry Yetman, a project officer with CAFID, said that having an experienced herring fisherman as a proponent of the project is critical to the success of the work. "When you have somebody like Mr. Caines who has the knowledge of traditional spawning ground locations, the times of the year that the spawning takes place in specific coves and the pattern of herring migration when they spawn, you have the hardest part of the work completed. These are things you can't learn from a book."

Mr. Caines plans to continue his work next year by applying for another experimental licence. "Right now the most important thing for me is to have this licence approved early enough in the year so that I can prepare my equipment, crew and harvesting plan. Preparation and timing are critical in the herring roe-on-kelp industry," he said.

Along with the development projects, presentations contained information on the criteria for CAFID assistance. In the CAFID overview presentation, Bill Carter, provincial coordinator for CAFID, explained that the work had to be industry-led, pilot projects which could include the investigation of new and innovative harvesting and processing technology, technology transfer, test fisheries, product R&D, and quality and productivity improvement initiatives.

Project applications are assessed on a number of factors. The technical feasibility of both the project and applicant are looked at, as well as the project viability, potential benefits and impacts of the plan and the level of risk involved. Mr. Carter said that one of CAFID's goals is to reduce some of the risks that are often associated with trying new species or ideas. "We have assisted projects that otherwise would not have occurred. It is our objective to be a catalyst for positive action. On the other hand, we occasionally choose to not assist with some projects because similar work has already been done and has proven to not work."

Another project that exhibited good success was the whelk test fishery which was completed in Conception Bay by fisherman Eric Taylor. Whelk is a marine snail that has popular appeal in Korea and Japan. They are not currently harvested commercially in Newfoundland.

In his 25-foot fibreglass boat, Mr. Taylor experimented with different harvesting pot configurations to determine the best type for the conditions in which he was fishing. He found that there must be continuity of raw material for the fishery to be worthwhile. He discovered that Conception Bay was ideal for this supply. During his first test trip he brought in more than 600 pounds. The next thing he knew his colleagues were scrambling to make similar pots and try their luck. "Everyone was asking for advice on pot type, fishing depth and bait," said Mr. Taylor. He gladly obliged.

The Canada/Newfoundland Cooperation Agreement for Fishing Industry Development is a $6.5 million agreement established with the objective of providing a climate in which the Newfoundland and Labrador fishing industry can be self-sustaining and viable in a resource short environment. The agreement, begun in 1993 and running until 1998, is cost-shared on a 70:30 basis by the federal and provincial governments and has focus on the diversification of harvesting and processing operations. Mr. Carter says this is achieved "through more efficient utilization of traditional species, increased use of under-utilized species, enhanced value realization for all fisheries resources and reduction of waste from harvesting and processing operations."

• Contact:

  Josephine Cheeseman
  Director of Communications
  Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
  (709) 729-3733

  Bernard Brown
  Communications Branch
  Department of Fisheries and Oceans
  (709) 772-4645

1996 12 04                     10:20 a.m.