Long may your big jib draw, Torbay fishermen
A new, and long-awaited, jib crane is taking a load off fishermen in Torbay.
"It means the world to me. No more strain on my back," says John Waterman, who frequently hauls up boxes of cod weighing 150 pounds.
The new piece of equipment comes courtesy of Paradise-based Steelfab Industries, which is lending the $50,000 crane to the fishermen for the foreseeable future.
"We had a jib crane that we weren't using at the time, so we put two and two together," said Noel George, who is with the company.
DFO said no — for now
It was in August when fishermen in Tapper's Cove called on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to ante up the money for the crane.
However, the department's policy requires communities to land 50 tonnes of fish for three consecutive years in order to get the machinery — meaning it would be 2018 at the earliest before Torbay could qualify.
There were two jib cranes in Torbay when the inshore fishery was going strong, but that changed in 2013 when DFO ruled fisherman weren't catching enough — so the cranes disappeared.
That's not the case anymore and the equipment is needed, insisted fisherman Tom Martin.
"We got a cod fishery coming back, like I'm bringing my fish to the plant now. I goes up Friday and picks up my paycheque. There's no better feeling in the world," he said.
For now, the group is thankful for the generosity of Steelfab Industries, but still wants a jib crane to be a permanent fixture in Tapper's Cove — on DFO's dime.
