Practical Problems in the Fish Business 



BY 



D. J. Byrne 

 President, Canadian Fisheries Association 



MR. CHAIRMAN and Gentlemen: When requested by your 

 Committee recently to deliver a short address on the practical 

 problems connected with the sale and distribution of fish, it occurred 

 to me that you had indeed given me a wide latitude ; the practical prob- 

 lems are so many and so varied that they might well be a task beyond 

 my ability. 



The difficulties, connected with the production and distribution of 

 perishable fish products, include the quick and proper handling at 

 points of production as well as the transportation to inland centres and 

 the distribution therefrom, through regular sources, to the consumer. 



Improved Methods oe Fishing 



^ ^ . In recent years much progress has been made in im- 



of Trawling proving the methods of taking the fish, especially in 

 deep sea fishing for what are known as ground fish, 

 including cod, haddock, flounders, witches, hake, pollock, etc., by the 

 introduction of steam trawlers, several of which have been operated 

 during the past few years off the coast of Nova Scotia. Formerly the 

 catch was almost entirely secured by fishing vessels operating dories, 

 from which trawls were set, each trawl carrying from 1,000 to 1,500 

 baited hooks, ganged to the main line at intervals of from 3 to 6 feet. 



Frequent fjje frequent scarcity of bait and the difficulty exper- 



ofBait ienced in securing same, very often caused the com- 



plete cessation of fishing and at such times the fleet, 

 numbering from 50 to 100 vessels, might be held in port for weeks, due 

 to lack of bait. This trouble was partly overcome by the establish- 

 ment of bait freezers, subsidized by the Government, where bait could 

 be frozen and carried to provide a supply during any temporary 

 scarcity, but this difficulty has not been entirely overcome and will 

 exist at certain seasons of the year. 



