WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2014
YOUR SOURCE RICHMOND-NEWS.COM
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER@THERICHMONDNEWS
SUMMER CLEARANCE
OPENS THIS
SALE
WEEKEND
! S E E WH AT’ S N EW TO TH E FA IR & O N LY CO M IN G TH IS Y EA R ! PLUS GET E V E SAVINGS A T N B IG G E R
OR FOLLOW US ON 1404 S.W. Marine Dr.
Vancouver, BC V6P 5Z9 604-261-3343 budgetcarsales.ca
Twitter.com/ RichmondNews
PNE _ PLAYLA
ND
PNECLIPS
SALMON RUN
Summertime and fish are jumpin’, indeed! Graeme Wood
Staff Reporters gwood@richmond-news.com
It was all smiles down at Steveston Wharf Monday night when gillnetters brought in their first haul of this year’s sockeye salmon run — which is expected to be a big one. See more photos online at richmond-news.com. Photo by Graeme Wood/Richmond News
“The fish are starting to come in and there’s lots on the way,” said skipper Jim Smith, on board his gillnet vessel at Steveston Wharf Tuesday morning. Gillnetters like Smith were selling whole sockeye salmon for $20 after a three-hour commercial opening on the Fraser River Monday afternoon. By Monday evening, independent wholesale buyer Mike Rekis had hauled in about 50,000 pounds of salmon on the dock adjacent to Garry Point Park. Rekis was buying fish for $1.50 per pound. “This is just a start but it’s only going to get better,” said Rekis, whose fish will end up selling in stores with a mark up. The 2014 sockeye salmon run is expected to be a large one, although the Department of Fisheries and Oceans still hasn’t made an official estimate; it could be as low as seven million or as high as 73 million fish returning from the immaculate 30 million run in 2010. At about $3-4 per pound at the wharf, fishers say the public is getting a good bargain. “You can’ beat this,” said gillnetter Randy Fraser, who sold six fish in a matter of minutes while speaking to the Richmond News. see CATCH › page 4
FIRE
Boat fire rescue took all hands on deck Graeme Wood
Staff Reporter gwood@richmond-news.com
A boat fire in Steveston that injured two people and nearly sent Shady Island up in flames Saturday evening underscored the need for agencies to coordinate marine fire rescues. A 26-foot aluminium boat caught fire near Steveston Channel after its battery exploded, igniting the fuel line, said
Kevin Gray, a deputy fire chief for the fire department. It literally took a village to handle the rescue. Two people, who sustained seconddegree burns, were pulled out of the Fraser River by a First Nations patrol boat; the Steveston Lifeboat, operated by volunteers from the Canadian Lifeboat Institution, then hooked the flaming boat to prevent it from drifting onto the tinder-dry island; members of
the Steveston Harbour Authority used their new boat, the SHARC, to douse the flames with its pumps; Richmond Fire-Rescue then used a civilian boat to access the fire, with its portable water pumps, and assess the situation once the flames were out; when the boat sank, Port Metro Vancouver authorities determined it was not a threat to the environment or navigation. see RESCUE › page 4
Steveston Lifeboat Institution volunteers approach the burning vessel near Shady Island. Photo Submitted
SEAFOOD PLATTER
Rack of Lamb Chops & Lobster $
25.95
Two tender grilled rack of lamb chops, 4 oz lobster tail, drawn butter, roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables 604.276.8282 • 8140 LESLIE ROAD
Open for Lunch Monday-Saturday
Dinner Everyday from 4:30pm
Please reserve now for Belly Dancing August 16
$17.95 p.p. see HEADLINE › page 4
(minimum 2)
Greek salad, homous, satziki, pita bread, ice shrimp cocktail, stuffed tiger prawns, kalamaria, sautéed seafood (prawns, halibut, salmon, scallops), mussels, roast potatoes, rice and seasonal vegetables. Offer valid 7 days a week with this coupon. Expires Aug 19, 2014
www.felicos.com • Full Menu On-Line