Meet 1st Generation Trawl Fisherman
Joe Greene
"The most rewarding part is providing a good living for my crew and their families."
How did you get into fishing?
My first job in the fishing industry was as a deckhand on the Charlotte Queen in 1972. The boat was owned and operated by Al Porter out of Daajing Giids, and chartered to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) as a watchman on Haida Gwaii. I liked that job; I found being on the water very peaceful. It was also my introduction to watching the seine boats in action. It looked exciting and I dreamed of having some of the action.
What’s your earliest memory on the water?
My dream came true in 1974. After graduating high school, I got a job as a cook/drum man on the Holly L, a small seine boat owned by Nelson Bros. out of Port Edward.
I was on a few different boats for the next ten years, doing all the jobs – drum, skiff, beachman, and engineer. In 1984, I ran my first seine boat, The Haida Girl. I felt honoured to run that boat – many great captains had run it before me.
How long have you been working in the fishing industry?
I have been fishing for over fifty years and through the years, I have worked in most fisheries – seine, gill net, longline, and in 1990, trawl.
What’s the most rewarding part of the job?
When I first began fishing, there was no question that the most rewarding part of the job was loading up. Over the years, that has changed and now the most rewarding part is providing a good living for my crew and their families.
What’s your favorite part about being out on the ocean?
My favourite part of being on the ocean is the scenery. Whether transiting narrow inlets or open water, watching a whale breach, a super pod of dolphins speed by, or pounding into big seas, I get a front row seat to nature in action and it makes me feel grateful
What’s the most challenging part of the job?
The most challenging part of my job is judging the weather for fishing. So many things come into play, first and foremost being crew safety, and then markets. We make money when we fish.
However, there is another thing even more challenging than the weather recently. That is the personal attacks on social media about me and my crew being trawlers. I know it is fuelled by misinformation. I know that my crew and I are good people, raising families, productive members of our communities, and we are following the rules set out by the Department of Fisheries. I find it very challenging to not get angry when we are labelled “bad”. I have also heard fishers from other gear types call us “not fishermen”. Most of my crew have fished most gear types and are very good at fixing all gear, mending, splicing, engineering, stowing fish, marine emergencies, and navigating. They are all top notch fishers
What's one thing most people don’t know about commercial fishing?
Fishers don’t manage fisheries, the DFO does.
What does sustainable fishing mean to you?
Sustainable fishing to me means that the stocks will be there for the next generation. It means not over harvesting, following science and common sense.
How has the fishery changed since you started?
When I first started in trawl fishing, there were a lot more active boats than there are today. There have been lots of changes since I started, some of which I am proud like the trawl foot print, 100% retention of rockfish, and salmon excluders, to name a few.
What role do observers or science play in the trawl fishery?
We are also under twenty four hour observation by DFO via camera. This makes the fishery transparent, which is a good thing. Science is the most important part of the trawl fishery. The survey work done allows us to know the biomass on our coast, allowing us to set sustainable tacks.
What would you say to people who think trawl fishing isn’t sustainable?
To people who think that trawl fishing is not sustainable, I would say to do your homework and look at the facts. The trawl footprint allows 6% of the coast to be fished. My guess is that we only fish 10% of that 6%. Do you really think there is no fish in that 94+%? Most of the people that I know in this industry, fellow captains and crew are career fishers, supporting their families from trawl fishing. If we didn’t support sustainability, we wouldn’t be able to support our families. Fishing is our lives.
Do you have a favorite meal using what you catch?
My favourite fish from our catch is pan friend Rougheye Rockfish, although I like eating all fish. My favourite fish of all time is Skeena Sockeye.
What advice would you give someone thinking about becoming a fisherman?
If asked to give advice to someone thinking of becoming a fisherman, I would say “don’t be a passenger”. Learn the trade. Pay attention to veterans, learn to repair your gear, learn to navigate and be a respectful crew member, and most importantly, enjoy the adventure. I still do.
What do you hope the next generation knows about this work?
I hope the next generations know the importance of science and knowing true mortality. To follow the science requires integrity in the way we fish. If fish are taken and not recorded, then it’s not sustainable. If it’s not sustainable, then neither is our way of life.