Fishing

Barbara Stevens grew up in a fishing community on the Fraser River in British Columbia. Her father, Homer Stevens, was a leader in the fishing industry and the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU). Barbara shares stories from her...

This 13-minute video chronicles the evolution of safety measures in British Columbia's fishing industry, highlighting the significant challenges and eventual improvements in working conditions for fishers.

This 11-minute video provides a comprehensive overview of the history of the fishing industry in British Columbia, focusing on the evolution of health and safety for shoreworkers.

Ray Gardiner spent most of his life in Prince Rupert, BC, having arrived during World War II to find work at the shipyards. His union work was mainly in the United Fisherman and Allied Workers Union, serving as northern organizer...

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...

A series of strikes rocked the fishing industry in Steveston, BC in the early 1900s. This story examines the context and the efforts made to unite fishers across racial lines. What were the qualities of the leaders of the Fisher...

The subject of this film is Tatsuro “Buck” Suzuki, a fisher and early environmentalist on the Fraser River in British Columbia who also played a key role in the return of interned Japanese Canadians to the coast after the Second...

Many women worked in BC’s once numerous canneries and fish processing plants; for some this was a stepping stone to working on the fish boats. We examine the gendered dimension of labour in this industry through interviews with activist Barbara...

Take a deep dive into the historical and contemporary roles of women in BC's fishing industry. Today, the industry has largely disappeared due to economic shifts, free trade, and declining salmon stocks. In this episode of On the Line, we...

Sean grew up in Burnaby where he began his political activism early as a paperboy delivering Pacific Tribune newspapers for Harold Pritchett. Sean’s father was the longtime editor of the Pacific Tribune and Sean’s mother was also politically active. Due...

From union organizing in Steveston to postwar civil rights and environmental advocacy, “Buck” Suzuki’’s contributions spanned decades and sectors. A foundation in his name continues his legacy today. In this episode of On the Line, we celebrate the life of...

Geoff grew up in Toronto and Ottawa and had a comfortable middle class upbringing. He became interested in left wing politics when he attended the University of Toronto, where he worked on the university paper and at the student radio...

Brian Hamaguchi worked in fish canneries in the lower mainland and was a shop steward and executive member of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU). Previous generations of his family also worked in the fishing industry and were...

Henry van der Wiel first came to Prince Rupert in 1963 to work on a fish boat, and relocated permanently in 1966. He eventually bought his own gillnetter. When he became a member of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers...

Des Nobels lived and worked in the fishing industry on the north coast of BC his entire adult life, from being a crew member to a vessel owner. This interview was conducted by Rod Mickleburgh on September 6, 2019 in...

In this 1.5 hr conversation, Rod Mickleburgh and Donna Sacuta interview Joy Thorkelson. Joy is a resident of Prince Rupert and held positions as organizer and president of the UFAWU (United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union). This interview was conducted...

Bill Smith was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and grew up in Dallas, Texas. He moved to British Columbia in 1970 and subsequently spent more than 40 years working as a commercial fisherman in Prince Rupert and the North Coast. In...

John Radosevic was born in Croatia (former Yugoslavia) before moving to Canada as a young boy. As a teenager he worked on an uncle’s ranch in Alberta and in the dangerous job of tie-up man in seine fishing in BC...

In the summer of 1954, racist signs on the women’s washrooms at the Namu fish cannery divided the facilities between “Whites” and “Natives”. They had been there for years, but despite demands from both the United Fishermen and Allied Workers...

Grace Stevens was born in Saskatchewan to Finnish and Norwegian parents, moving to Webster’s Corners in BC as a girl where her parents farmed and fished the Fraser River. Growing up in the Depression years, she learned to fight for...

George Hewison grew up in Campbell River where he learned his unionism and politics at “the kitchen table” during the Cold War years. He was an organizer and executive member of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU) for...

Arnie Nagy has Haida heritage on the maternal side of his family, and grew up in Prince Rupert. He worked in the fish canneries and was an active UFAWU member. He recalls the years when the fishing industry was booming...

This is an audio-only interview with Nick Carr. Nick was born in Croatia (former Yugoslavia) before moving to Canada as a young boy, where he spent his career as a fisherman. He became President of Local 1 of the United...