What does it take to be a commercial fisher?
Visitors to the Salmon Festival on July 1 at the Steveston Community Centre will get a little taste of that when they get a hands-on feel for the skills needed in the King of the Fraser event.
Originally meant to showcase actual fishers who plyed their trade along the coastal waters, the event has changed in recent years to give the public a chance to see if they can help land the catch.
“When it first started it was a competition for active commercial fishermen to use their skills, whether it was mending nets or repairing other equipment,” said Richard Normura, one of the event’s organizers. “And we up to a dozen take part each year.”
One of the crowd-pleasers was tossing fish heads into large tote boxes using a long pole with a spike on the end of it.
“You just jabbed the head of the fish and flipped it over to the fish box,” Normura said. “It was good entertainment and kind of like a finale to the competition.”
But over the years the event declined to a point where it became mainly a demonstration of skills with no fish head tossing.
“With decreasing numbers we came to the point where we decided we should involve the public,” Nomura said. “So, now we’ve made it a competition that’s open to adults.”
While tossing real fish heads will not be part of the experience for those taking part now, they do get a chance to hurl rubber fish in one test of skill.
They also have the opportunity to get dressed up in some bulky fishing gear — boots, rain pants, jacket and south easter hat.
“They then get a small bundle of net they have to transfer from open point to another, fill a net needle, and thread corks through a line which is something you’d have to do when you’re putting a net together,” Nomura said. “And in the finale we get them to throw the rubber fish into a fish tote.”
Winners — divided into categories for men and women — are determined on a timed basis.The competition is located in the Steveston Community Centre’s main parking lot near the main stage throughout the day.
