B.C.'s commercial fishing industry is holding its first annual charity herring sale this weekend in Richmond and Ladner fishermen are among those helping the cause.
Randy Reifel's boat, Prosperity, will be used to harvest 60 tonnes of herring from the Gulf of Georgia for the sale.
All aspects of the event are being donated, including the operation of the fishing vessel Prosperity and its fishing licence, fuel, fishing gear, ice, harbour facilities, unloading facilities and more.
"There's a lot of excitement about it," said Brent Melan, skipper for the Prosperity. "Fishermen are great people for giving back."
The charity herring sale will take place on Saturday and Sunday between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. (or until sold out) at the south end of Trites Road in Steveston (12740 Trites Rd.). This sale is open to the public with all proceeds being contributed to the B.C. Children's Hospital Foundation to support children with cancer.
"We started as a small group of fishing friends with a conviction to help kids with cancer and today are simply astounded by the overwhelming support that we have received from throughout the entire industry," said Ladner fisherman and event spokesperson Harvey Gifford.
The idea began with a group of fishermen deter-mined to provide support for children with cancer after standing by as loved ones battled the disease, particularly kids.
The charitable herring fishery had been a tradition in the province for 50 years until 2007 and raised over $250,000 for orphaned children. The group decided to bring this idea back with the herring sale.
"We are also grateful to all those who have come forward to volunteer their time to take on the many roles involved to put on the event from distributing posters around town to bagging the fish for sale," said Gifford.
The herring will be sold for $10 per 20-pound bag. Buyers are also invited to bring their own bucket.
Donations can be made to the B.C. Children's Hospital Foundation at https: //secure.bcchf. ca/SuperheroPages. To volunteer, email [email protected] with availability. For more information, call 604-328-7835, or visit the Facebook page, Fishermen Helping Kids with Cancer, for updates.
