Back to the books for fisherpeople

NEWVILLE -

"School was never so hard as this, sir!" - but "its different from school - and better."

With that type of general comment some 18 fisherpeople from the area were facing some 12 weeks of specialized training being held at the Development Association building in Newville. The exercise at a cost of some $6,290 each would, on passing, qualify them for their Fishing Master Class IV "ticket."

Don Waterman, formerly of Twillingate, is the instructor/facilitator carrying out his eighth such course with fisherpeople around the province on behalf of the Marine Institute. Mr. Waterman noted that for the great majority of the students the cost is sponsored by HRDC (Human Resources Development Canada).

"This course will give them the Fishing Masters Class IV certification," said Mr. Waterman. "This is the basic level with Class I being the top one giving the status of Master Mariner for fishing vessels.

"The Class IV ticket is required on a vessel depending on the length with some larger longliners requiring two tickets that makes sense because the owner is not always on deck or in the wheelhouse. Such courses reflect the response to what has happened on the water," he noted. "The more accidents that occur at sea, the more demand there is for safety courses."

Spread over a 12-week period the certification course at Newville has some seven segments, explained Mr. Waterman. By far the most intensive is the "chartwork and pilotage" section spread over six weeks and requiring considerable memory work. The next section is on "Navigational Safety" or commonly referred to as "rules of the road." Another is Navigational Aids, while another gives the Radio Operators' Certification, and the sixth involves Marine Emergency Duties.

At the conclusion of each segment, advised Mr. Waterman, the student is tested with a written exam supervised by a representative from Transportation Canada, and finally each student must undergo an oral testing where a panel from Transportation Canada sits with the individual student and asks a battery of questions covering all facets of the course.

"It's a demanding course," said Mr. Waterman, "but with determination and effort - as well as a fair amount of homework - the students should be able to achieve the Class IV certification."