Even more wonderful than this scenic fishing community on the west coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, just outside of the "Tablelands", are the people - hard working harvesters who are up at the crack of dawn to toss hooked long lines over the gunnels. Each hook brings the hope of seeing white bellies emerging through the water when the hooks come back in the afternoon.
Our day in Trout River began on a calm morning, though the winds made the water a little choppy. As the sun crept over the hills, barrels of rope and pans of baited hooks waited to be thrown into the sea as the crew laid the trawl. Hours later we returned as all hands helped in bringing the lines back in, anxious to see what the day held.
Standing out of the way and watching in awe as the harvesters work in a sort of ballet on deck and witnessing the hardiness of halibut and the importance of returning wolfish, a Species at Risk, back to the water carefully.
As the crew weighed off the fish, they placed distinct Newfoundland Labrador Wild Catch Seafood traceability tags on each fish to ensure consumers would be able to see exactly where the fish was harvested and thank the harvesters who brought this high quality product to market. Since the opening of Gulf halibut this year we have seen traces come in from places such as Vancouver, Boston, Minnesota, just to name a few. Harvesters are hearing exactly how great Newfoundland and Labrador seafood is straight from the consumer.