I can remeber in the 1960s there were about seven fresh fish plants and at least two salt fish operations on the Halifax waterfront. It goes without sayiung that they lent a certain "ambiance" (pronounced in the French way), especially on humid days with very little wind. Thanks to over fishing - encouraged by government policy - and to the rapacious methods of European fishers - there was a rapid decline in fish stocks and one by one the fish plants disappeared.
By the time the government brought in the cod moratorium in 1992 the last plants were gone and as a result we seldom saw fishing vessels in Halifax and no longer inhaled the "ozone" from the plants. The exceptions of course were the Japanese tuna longliners while they overfished that species into near extinction too. European freezer trawlers from the USSR, East Germany, Romania, Poland and Spain also called for crew R+R and stores or to seek refuge from hurricanes. However once Canada declared the 200 mile economic zone they also became rare sights.
In this century fishing operations have concentrated on numerous outports such as Lunenburg and nearby Sambro. Fishing is still an important industry in the region and there are countless boats engaged in inshore and offshore activity. Fish plants are now located in those smaller ports and fishing vessels have no reason to come to Halifax except in case of emergency or breakdown.
Today's arrival of the Northern Alliance likely falls in the latter category. Its track shown on AIS indicates a diversion from its northeasterly course from Lunenburg to a point east of Halifax. It may have a had a power loss, then headed directly for Halifax, It was met off Portuguese Cove by the tug Atlantic Maple and was escorted in to tie up at the C.O.V. E. pier in Dartmouth.
The Northern Alliance was built in 1990 by Stocznia Potnocina in Gdansk, Poland for Icelandic owners and named Johann Gislason. In 1990 it was given the charmaing name Frosti, still under Icelandic flag. In 2012 Select Seafoods Canada Ltd of Richmond, BC acquired the ship and registered it in Lunenburg. It may have fished on the west coast for a time. (The company's web sites are vague on detail).
It is a 624.41 gross tons stern trawler with a capacity of 170 tonnes per trip. It is equipped to freeze its catch at sea (FAS). Select Seafoods and its associated company Aqualine Seafoods Ltd market hake, arrowtooth flounder, pollock and redfish in various states of process.
Back in the Day
Fishing has been the backbone of the Nova Scotia economy since early days. Preserving fish with salt fish was the usual method until freezing technology came into being. Initially fishing boats would carry sufficient ice (loaded ar their home ports) but that limited the time at sea. Eventuallly freezing the fish came into being, and some larger boats had the capacity to package the fish too.
The Halifax fish plants, when they existed, processed "fresh" fish that had been partially processed, and iced down at sea. At the plants the catch was then processed into frozen blocks ready for shipment or storage for later processing during the off season, or packaged consumer-ready. "Fresh fish" could also be salted and salted fish could be packaged as there was still a market in the Caribbean.
The actual catching of fish was usually by trawler as the main catch was bottom fish such as cod. By the mid 1960s stern trawlers were gradually replacing side trawlers as they were safer and could work in worse sea conditions, with the deck crew more sheltered.
Early 1950s British built steam trawlers still supplied the Water Street plant of National Sea Products.
Newer diesel side trawlers like the Cape Hood fed the Forty Fathom plant of National Sea Products at Pier 29. The National Harbours Board maintained a huge freezer storage facility across the street to keep frozen fish for later distribution.
Halifax Shipyard built early stern trawlers, such as the Atkinson,
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