Northern Peninsula may miss out on a caplin fishery

‘My faith is gone for this year’ says Englee fisherman

Now into the middle of August, the chances of caplin rolling into the waters of the Northern Peninsula are growing dim.

Goose Cove fisherman Maxwell Sexton can recall the days when caplin would fill the shores before children got out of school for the summer. Now he says he doesn’t expect to see a caplin fishery open for fishermen in the area this year.

“They’ve been on the decline for years and years; I’d say we won’t get nothing now,” Sexton said. “The caplin are scarce, the shrimp are scarce – it seems like it’s all been scraped out.”

Jason Spingle, area representative for the Fish, Food, and Allied Workers Union, says while there’s been some decent signs of caplin along the east side of the island, Peninsula and Labrador Straits caplin showings have ranged from minuscule to nought.

“In the gulf it’s been pretty

bleak, probably the worst sign ever,” said Spingle. “There’s been a general decline in the abundance, but this year’s been more extreme.”

Some Northern Peninsula crab fishermen noted signs of caplin in early June, but with no gear ready, they were not fished.

Some Northern Peninsula crab fishermen noted signs of caplin in early June, but with no gear ready, they were not fished.

Sexton says the cod he’s sliced open in his area have been filled with mostly herring and even mackerel — all fresh enough to take for bait. The cod in the nets Cull has been hoisting up have been filled with everything from crab, shrimp and turbot, but not a sign of fresh caplin. He says it sends a message that something is wrong

It’s also clear the cod are not finding caplin in west coast waters.

Now in the final weeks of summer, Sexton and Cull don’t expect to see caplin, and the Northern Peninsula will likely be without a caplin fishery.

“My faith is gone for this year,” said Cull. “This is not June month anymore, I don’t expect to see any.”

With a steady decline in profit from its capture, and a general fear they are taking away from the food source of many other ground fish, the caplin fishery has been a concern for fishermen across the island for some time.

Now that this year is showing a particularly high level of uncertainty, Spingle says the state of the caplin fishery is expected to be an increased focal point for future discussion.

“They’ve shown up in August before but a lot of harvesters feel that it’s getting late,” Spingle said. “There’s varying opinions on what level of concern this is, but the concern is there – particularly this year.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO Englee fisherman Larry Cull snapped a photo of a codfish with a belly full of snow crab. While this time of year codfish are typically full of fresh caplin, there’s been no sign of caplin so far this summer.

SUBMITTED PHOTO The Northern Peninsula has not experienced a run of caplin since June. Many fishermen in the area feel that in mid-august, there’s very little chance caplin will show up at all.