Lögberg-Heimskringla - 13.09.2002, Blaðsíða 1

Week at a glance
James Stefan Freeman and the lcelandic Canadian Frón
Sheldon Theatre Welcomes Guests
Page 4 Page 5
Friday, 13 September, 2002 • Number 31 / Númer 31 • Föstudagur, 13 September, 2002
Lögberg
Lögberg stofnað 14. janúar 1888
Heimskringla stofnað 9. september 1886
Sameinuð 20. ágúst 1959
Heimskringla
The Icelandic Weekly
www.logberg.com
Registration no. 08000 Agreement no. 1402161 116th year /116. Árgangur ISSN 0047-4967
Gimli Fishers Squeezed
Fréttir • News
Skandifest
2002 in
Northem
California
Now in its 12th year,
Skandifest is a festival
that celebrates the rich her-
itage of the Scandinavian
immigrants to this area. The
festival is held in the
Stanislaus County Fair-
grounds in Turlock,
Califomia.
Skandifest is a lot of
fun for children and adults.
There is entertainment for
all age g'roups. Children can
enjoy the Sami village,
spend time in the authentic
Viking encampment as the
Vikings demonstrate their
tools, armor and clothing
crafts, listen to authentic
music and learn folk
dances. Also for children is
a Troll park and a Lego play
area. Another major event
will be the Nordic Horse
Show, one of the largest in
the west. It takes place con-
tinuously during the festival
near the ticket gates.
In addition to free con-
certs outside, there are con-
certs in the evening in the
Nordic Hall.
The Icelandic
Association of Northern
California will have a table
set up in The Viking Hall.
Drop by and say hello and
find out when and where the
‘social coffee’ will be.
Skandifest takes place
Friday, September 27th, 12
noon to 9 pm; Saturday the
28th, 9 am to 9 pm, and
Sunday the 29th, from 9 am
to 5 pm.
Information courtesy of
Fréttablað, lcelamlic Assoc. of
Northern California
There’s a long tradition of
fishing in Iceland. That’s
just a traism. For centuries
Icelandic farmers spent the
months when they were not tend-
ing the sheep up in the hills in
open boats out in the North
Atlantic Ocean. The modem day
fishing industry reaps Iceland’s
gold from the sea. It is largely
responsible for Iceland’s wealth.
There’s a long tradition of
fishing in the Icelandic communi-
ties in North America where water
and fish are abundant. In
Manitoba’s Interlake, the
Icelandic immigrants had to figure
out quickly how to get at the fish
under several feet of ice. That was
new for them. They leamed it.
They also fished Lake Winnipeg
when it was ice free, and they
developed an active fishing indus-
try on the lake. That fishing indus-
try is still healthy, active and
growing.
It’s estimated that fishing
brings $4-$5 million per year into
the Gimli harbour alone - that rep-
resents two million pounds of fish.
Before amalgamation of the town
and municipality, which will
occur this fall, fishing is the largest
industry in the town (Seagram’s
will overtake fishing upon amalga-
mation).
But all is not well at the Gimli
Harbour. The fishers are feeling
squeezed.
There was a time that fishers
were like sharecroppers, or inden-
tured workers. But in 1986 that all
changed when the Manitoba gov-
ernment established the Lake
Winnipeg Commercial Fishing
Quota Entitlement Program. This
legislation gave fishers “the keys
to the car” in the parlance of
David Olson, a third generation
fisher from Gimli. A quota is an
entitlement, a chattel that can be
bought and sold, giving the fisher
economic security and “a retire-
ment program when they leave.”
So, what could possibly be
the problem?
When, in 1988, the finger
docks in the Gimli Harbour were
designed, twenty-eight spots were
set aside for fishers. All the rest
were allocated to pleasure craft. In
the early years of the arrangement,
this caused no problem, because
the pleasure craft spots were not
all used, and fishers could spill
over when necessary.
Since then however, the pop-
ulation of fishers in Gimli has
increased substantially, from 57 in
1985 to 125 in 2002. The growth
in fishers reflects the growth in the
community generally.
The lack of space in the har-
bour is a flash point for the fishers.
They have fished there for genera-
tions and have fuelled the econo-
my through thick and thin.
“There’s a lack of political will at
the local level to help us expand,”
says David Olson, who is the area
representative for the fishers.
Because the fishing season is
closed for most of the two summer
months, the pleasure craft and
fishing vessels have co-existed in
the past. Fishing season runs
through June until July lOth and
from the first Saturday on the
Labour Day weekend until the end
of October.
There are two groups
involved in the expansion and
management of the harbour — the
Town of Gimli and the federal
Department of Fisheries and
Oceans, Small Crafts Harbour
Division. The new harbour at
Gimli, which is under the jurisdic-
tion of the town, was opened in
1999 with forty-eight berths and
lots of room for expansion. This
harbour has no vehicle parking
associated with it, no unloading
facility, and no hydro and water. It
is designed for pleasure, not work.
The old harbour is a federal
harbour. One side, with ninety-
two spots, is reserved for the
Yacht Club. The other side, the
one with the wall of paintings, has
spots for pleasure craft and fishers.
It was here that the flash point was
reached earlier this year when
Richard Bjamason and his wife
and business partner Sheila were
unable to dock their yawls in one
of the twenty-eight berths set
aside for fishers, because two
berths were rented to a pleasure
craft for the season. Richard, who
has been fishing out of Gimli since
1962, but recently has been moor-
ing, on twenty-four hour notice, at
Willow Island “would like the
option of coming to Gimli when
it’s hard to get out of the channel.”
He would also like to see the
wharf maintained for their vehi-
cles.
David Olson says that the last
thing the fishers want is the feder-
al govemment out of the harbour
at Gimli. It is the case, however,
that the federal govemment, since
1995, is “divesting itself of recre-
ational harbours generally,”
according to Duane Blanchard,
Regional Director, Small Craft
Harbour Branch, Central and
Arctic Region, who is stationed in
Burlington, Ont. They have had
preliminary discussions with the
Town of Gimli, and are in the
process of getting studies done on
infrastructure, in order that the
town might assess the feasibility
of its assuming responsibility.
According to Duane, “one of the
inain planks in the negotiations
will be the continued accommoda-
tion of the fisherman. They are a
major force and will be listened
to.” He adds that the branch has
successfully negotiated joint use
harbours in Ontario.
In Area 2 of the South Basin,
which goes from Winnipeg Beach
to Ames on the west shore, there
are 167 fishers registered. Of
these, 110 or 66%, of the names
are Icelandic. Richard himself is a
direct descendant of the first per-
son bom at Willow Island in 1875.
Both he and his wife and David
fish in small open boats, attending
stationary gill nets. At the end of
the day they pack the fish and sell
it to the Freshwater Fish
Marketing Corp. David also sup-
plies Gimli Fish in Winnipeg.
Richard winter fishes as well, and
David is one of three third genera-
tion Icelandic fishers who still fish
whitefish.
As Gimli and its surrounding
area is on the verge of creating a
new community, the fishers want
them to remember their roots. As
David Olson says, “Until the lake
dries up, we’re going to be here.”
They’d like the federal Minister of
Fisheries to remember that they
are a part of the 65,000 fishers in
Canada. And they’d like to be able
to park their boats in their home
harbour.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHEILA BJARNASON
Fishers Richard and Shcila Bjarnson lifting nets on Lake
Winnipeg
Creating Community • Sköpum Samfélag