In the spring we find it tough because we got our lump nets and lobster pots out. Then you got to put your crab pots out. We've had a crab licence for years - ours is supplementary, 150 pots. You got 25 set in a fleet, with 20 fathoms between each pot. Crab fishing is one of the hardest jobs in the fishery. It's continuous - while you're steaming to another fleet you're trying to get rid of all these crabs on board. You got to measure all the crab and then you got to heave a lot overboard, the small and soft crab.

The 55-footers is all in here with us, they only got to go out and set their pots. In one haul they got their 25,000 pounds. This year they had a line drawn so the bigger boats went into area 10. We were in area 11 and the boats had 96,000 pounds to catch on Friday, but we weren't allowed to go out because they overfished in area 10. The union and the fishermen is trying to work together to see if DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) would set up an individual quota system. If you had IQ inside the 46 line and, say I'm guaranteed 22,000 from the 46 line in, if they opens that on May 15,

I got until May 25 to put my pots in the water. Plus, instead of do or die, if it takes four weeks to get my 22,000, that's okay. If I'm getting time to catch me 22,000 pounds inside the 46 line, well, at $2.50 a pound, you're talking $50,000 or better. At least you'd be guaranteed that, but the spring, with the troubles we had with the longliner, we only had 3,500 pounds.

Gerald had the crab licence in his name, so when he wanted the lobster licence he had to pass the crab licence to me because he had a boat over 35 feet. They say we got 90-odd crab licence holders in 3PS fishing zone. It's only me and another woman that attend the meetings. Last week they said, "Now this little lady, she better sit by the door."

And I said, "Well, it doesn't matter. What's the difference in sitting up here?"

They said, "Yeah, but tempers is going to fly one of those days and I'm going to tell you, you don't want to be stuck in the middle."

Well, b'y, that don't bother me.

Gerald was pleased with me in the boat, we get along good together. I'd say, "I thinks we should go inside."