repair. Today many fishermen go to meetings about the fishery. For them it is no longer enough to be good at fishing. They are also trying to help manage the whole fishery. Some groundfish stocks disappeared over the 1980s. Now, many fishermen are trying to protect what is left for the future. They do this by joining groups and giving their opinions about the fishery to government. Government makes the rules for the fishing industry.

“I was the founding president of the North of Smokey Fishermen’s Association,” Mr. Organ said. “That was in 1990, just before the moratorium.”

“We wanted to bring people together to talk about groundfish issues. Since then, it has blossomed into other projects. We have had test fisheries to find new types of fish we can catch. We have also held meetings so everyone will get information about Employment Insurance regulations. Now we get a newsletter that lets us know about changes in the groundfishery.”

Victoria Co-Op Fisheries Ltd.

Mr. Organ also belongs to Victoria Co-Operative Fisheries Ltd. This group formed 54 years ago when there was only one store to whom fishermen could sell their fish. Because there was only one store to buy the fish, the store owner could pay less than what the fish were worth. The fishermen formed a co-op so they could get fairer prices for their fish.

“We have buying stations at every port north of Smokey. We also run a fish plant that processes lobster and crab at New Haven.”