T&T: Define Trawler

[Faure, Marin]

>Trollers depended on being fast so they could bring the catch back to
shore while still fresh.

The true PNW salmon troller, the beautiful double-ended boats built in
the 1930s and 40s that set the configuration and style for this kind of
boat, were anything but fast.  Usually powered by a 4-cylinder gas
engine, they were six knot boats on a good day.  They carried ice but no
refrigeration equipment.  Since they didn't fish far from shore, it
usually wasn't a very long run to the nearest cannery (one reason there
were dozens of canneries up and down the Washington, BC, and SE Alaska
coast back then).  They could stay out for several days or more
depending on their ice load and how well it was lasting.  The fish were
caught and cleaned on the spot before being stowed in ice.  So they
didn't really freeze solid.

The trollers used commercially today are more modern boats but the
fishing method hasn't changed much.  They still ice up before going out,
although some of them may have small refrigeration systems on board.
Some of them come back in at the end of the day, but many of them (from
what their crews have told me) stay out several days.  And while they
have much better engines, they still aren't very fast boats.  Some areas
have "buy boats" that the trollers can sell to while on location in the
fishing area so they don't have to run all the way back to the fish dock
to unload.


______________________________
C. Marin Faure
GB36-403 "La Perouse"
Bellingham, Washington