The Fisherman, 1937-1999
The Fisherman bi-weekly newspaper documents shore workers and other labourers working in the fishing industry; canneries, Indigenous peoples, commercial fishing activities, equipment, and processes, union and alliance meetings and demonstrations, protests, and other aspects of the fishing industry in British Columbia. In particular, the activities of the UFAWU from the late 1960s to the late 1990s are heavily represented. Visit The Fisherman digital archive (external link).
The Fisherman Publishing Society was formed in 1937 to publish The Fisherman. Originally sponsored by the Salmon Purse Seiners Union and the Pacific Coast Fishermen’s Union, it later was published by the United Fisherman and Allied Workers’ Union (UFAWU). The newspaper documents industry events and encourages unity among West Coast fishermen.
This collection includes issues of The Fisherman newspaper dating from 1937 to 1999 (missing 1949). A complementary collection includes over 40,000 photographs taken for possible publication in the newspaper circa 1960 to 2000, with the vast majority dating from after 1980. The activities of the UFAWU from the late 1960s to the late 1990s are heavily represented.
The collection documents a tumultuous period in one of British Columbia’s oldest industries, with a significant focus on workers and union. It records important events in the province’s labour history and the evolution of the fishing industry, particularly after the 1980s.
The Fisherman newspaper has been digitized and is made available through Simon Fraser University Library Digital Collections.