Commercial Fishers Group Elects New President

Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 15:17

 

 

The association representing northern Saskatchewan’s commercial fishers has a new president.

 

Lac La Ronge Indian Band member Jonas Bird takes over from long-time president John Carriere, who decided not to seek another term after about three decades of service.

 

Bird has an extensive background in commercial fishing, having fished for years on Wapawekka Lake. He also ran a fish packing plant on Reindeer Lake at Kinoosao.

 

Bird takes over at a time when the industry is grappling with issues like marketing and local processing — and he’s excited by the challenge.

 

He also takes exception to comments made by Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation president John Wood to fishers in Prince Albert this past weekend.

 

Wood questioned the wisdom of fishers trying to market their own fish, and made it clear that the final decision on whether to lift the FFMC monopoly will be made by the corporation itself.

 

Bird says Wood should do his homework and look at the results of a recent government-commissioned study into that issue.