Ronnie was not interested in fishing when he was younger. He was brought up on a farm and when he was a child, he dreamed of being a farmer. He decided he wanted to be a fisherman when he was 20 years old after fishing a season with his brother-law. Ronnie has been a fisherman for 36 years and he still fishing today.

Ronnie has a number of brothers who are also in the fishing industry. They fish off the North Coast of P.E.I. at North Lake Harbour. They fish a number of species such as herring, mackerel, crab, cod and tuna, but the major fishery they are involved with is lobster fishery. Ronnie fished lobster as his main catch, but a lot of codfish, and mackerel. In 1980's he fished herring for 4 or 5 years, and in the 90's he fished crab. When he became a fisherman, he went to the fisheries office in Souris and bought a license for 25 cents. Today no new licenses are being issued except for new fisheries. The fisheries licenses now range from $130 to $300 a year. You have to buy someone out for any other license. Fisheries officers usually come and check once a year to make sure you have your license.

If you were caught without a renewed license, you were put out of the water immediately. If you were caught without a license, you were let off with a warning and next time put off the water and have to go to court for not having your license.

Four or five of the fishermen formed a union, to sell their fish. Today a co-op is in operation with approximately 50 fishermen who belong to it. Ronnie got 2 cents a pound the first year, then 5 cents a pound, then 15 cents a pound for fish. His biggest catch of lobster was 1350 pounds. Back then the average fisherman got 65 cents a pound for their lobsters. Now they get $4 or $5 a pound.

Ronnie got his own boat in 1966, which he called Minnie Ann. He had to fix it up. It had a car engine and a truck transmission. Over that winter he built traps for his the 1967 season. When he started there were 10 boats at North Lake. Now there are over 100 boats that fish out of North Lake. He got his second boat in 1997 and called it Fairfield Lady 1. For supplies the fishermen had to build their own traps in the winter. They sent all the bills to the company at North Lake who was going to buy his fish in the spring and they took the amount of the supplies off his catch for the next year. He started with 500 traps. The next year he set 700 traps. In 1967 the new law was 500 traps. The maximum today is 300 traps.

There were few cars back at this time, so many of the fishermen stayed at North Lake. They slept in a bunkhouse and ate meals at the cookhouse. Ronnie got his breakfast at the cookhouse.

Fishermen would get up at 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning and try to be done fishing by the afternoon. They go early because the wind would come up after daylight. Fishermen relied on the weather signs to let them know if they should go fishing. Some of the weather signs used to forecast the weather were: a red sky in the evening meant a rainy day. A rainbow in the evening sailors take leaving. A rainbow in the morning sailors take warning. Fishermen in the past were very superstitious. They believed many things would bring bad luck. Some of these superstitions were: never whistle in a boat, wear white mitts not gray ones. Women were not allowed to fish because of superstition and they were considered bad luck until the early 80's. Ronnie did not believe in superstition. Minnie fished with him for 2 years in 1985 and 1987.

Ronnie insists fishing isn’t any more dangerous than any other job. It was more dangerous back then, than it is now. There is more technology to keep you safe today. Every boat these days has radios or cell phones and bathrooms. The boats are safer now because on board there is a life jacket for everyone. The nearest he came to a disaster was the second year he fished. It was a bad storm and he was in his boat down at East Point. It was the first hauling day. He remembered being told afterwards that they needed a doghouse for that kind of weather. A doghouse was like a cabin. He struggled but made it to shore. He fished herring in 1965 with his brothers and remembers that one night he was on Charlie’s boat. It was a really bad night and they were fishing herring. The anchor pulled too far down and the boat almost tipped so they had to save the boat and let the herring go.

His most memorable story was about a setting day and his boat broke down. Artie Campbell pulled his boat up beside Ronnie to help him. Ronnie’s thumb was hanging over the side. Artie’s boat smashed his thumb and Ronnie almost lost it. His thumb is still black.

Ronnie has seen many changes in the fishing industry since he started. Years ago lobster was not the main fishing. Codfish was the best thing to fish. Lobster was not as processed as well as it is today. Now you have to measure lobster once it comes out of the trap. If they are too small you throw them back in. You have to have a tag on every trap you are going to set. "The escape hatch is one of the greatest things that has changed since fishing started", Ronnie said. When he started fishing, they didn't have escape hatches. At first lobster traps were 30 inches long and now they are 48 inches long. Back then the bottom of the trap was loaded with small lobsters. Today the small lobsters go out the escape hatch. Back then the small lobsters could get eaten on the way down to the bottom by cod and seals.

Ronnie thinks fishing is as important as it was 20 years. Ronnie wife, Minnie, says, "Now it is more of a career." She thinks people fished years ago because they had no other choice. Ronnie never wanted out of the career and jokes about it and says, "Because I’m stuck with it."

Ronnie has no plans to fish after retirement. After selling his license he can’t fish unless he has a fisherman helpers license. He can also sell his license to the government. He thinks he will continue his hobbies after he retires. They include: repairs around the house and neighborhood, carpentry, and volunteer work. He does not plan on retiring for at least 3 or 4 years from now. Ronnie wishes at times that his children would follow in his footsteps.

By: Dana Roberts and Tiffany Gregory