Fischells to get new wharf

An announcement last week the federal government would invest funds to reconstruct its wharf was exactly what Robert Whalen wanted to hear.

Mr. Whalen is just one of a group of local fishermen in Bay St. George South who works from the beach at Fischells and has lobbied for a new wharf.

"We're really glad to be getting a new one," he said. "We've been fighting for years now for a new wharf."

The existing wharf was built in the early 1980s.

Frank Simmons, Vice President of the Bay St. George South Area Development Association, said the task of getting a new wharf began on Boxing Day in 2007 with a meeting between fishers and Herb Davis, was an advisor to then-federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn.

"The real hero in all of this is Mr. Herb Davis," said Mr. Simmons. "He was the one who really got behind the project."

After Minister Hearn resigned from politics, Mr. Simmons said fishers were pleased to see the promise of a new wharf upheld by Minister Gail Shea, who currently holds the federal fisheries seat.

Minister Shea announced the project last week, noting in a statement from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, that a new wharf will benefit fishers and their communities.

"By funding repairs and improvement projects at harbours across the country, we are creating and protecting jobs and investing in the future of our fishing community," she stated.

The project will see the removal of the existing wharf and then the construction of a new structure. The project is set to be completed by 2011.

Mr. Simmons said area fishers are to be congratulated for their lobbying efforts.

"For a group of people who are fighting for their lives right now, they presented a strong lobby to DFO and I'm really proud of them," he said.

Mr. Whalen said he and other fishers weren't sure they would see the new wharf they had been asking for.

Now that he knows they will, he looks forward to the days when he and others can tie up their boats in a safe manner.

"It makes it easier because we won't have to be tying up around the beaches ... right now there's only three people that could come in there and we had to get our own places made along the beach for tying up our boats, so this is going to benefit us," he said. Mr. Simmons said safety of fishers and their equipment has been an ongoing issue.

"Anybody that fishes in Bay St. George South knows how dangerous it can be for the small boats," he said. "Having a place where they can tie up safely and conduct business is what's really needed. So that's what its all about there."

Mr. Simmons said along with fishers, various other community groups from around the bay helped to lobby for the new wharf. They include the zone board, regional economic development board and rural development board.

"There was quite a concerted effort from around the bay to make this happen," he said.

Construction of a new wharf will likely begin at the end of this year's salmon season.