The weir fishery of Saglek: A Land & Sea archival special
In the summer of 1996, an experimental weir fishery brought a crew of fisherman to the Saglek fjord in Northern Labrador in search of char. It served as a time to connect with the land, and a chance to get reacquainted with tradition.
The Saglek fjord, called "The Devil's Place" by fishermen because of its instantaneously changing winds, was almost too far north to fish for many, but that didn't stop the weir crew from trying to get their catch.
In a weir net at the mouth of the river, every single char making its way up the river to spawn will become trapped. The larger ones are kept in a holding tank, fresh product for the fish plant in Nain. The smaller char are let go, allowing the life cycle to continue.
Learn more about the weir fishery in this Land & Sea archival special, originally airing in 1996:
The trip also served as a chance for the crew to reconnect with fishermen of days past, as many of them had fished both the old way and the new over the years.
Sacred stones and leftover caches still remained on beaches in the area, serving as a look into the Inuit way of life lived by generations before them.
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