Primmer, Doug, Part 1. Interview with Doug Primmer, Barr'd Islands.

Doug Primmer discusses his fishing stage and the fish processing equipment, including the splitting table, puncheon tub and pounds. Discussion of the methods of fish processing, salting and drying that were once used; also fishing in Newfoundland00:05 Discussing the age and length of the fishing stage 00:50 Side door, winter leads, getting in and out 01:25 Used to beams all across there, curved, over the splitting table 01:45 "Eight be eight" 01:55 "Where you stick in the knife" 02:30 Having the leads on hinges vs. sliding 02:45 Cow skin for boots, cow udders for hinges 03:00 Showing Mark the snubby 03:15 What is the point of a snubby, Mark asks 03:20 What makes it a snubby? "The nose." 03:35 Did they hang fish tails? (No.) 03:45 Moose antlers? No, caribou 04:00 Explanation of how splitting fish works 04:45 A long chute, from one end of the table to the other 05:10 Men at the table: Header, cutthroat, splitter (usually five men) 05:20 Role of women in fish prep (cut throats, tend table) 05:35 The hardest job? "Salting was the worst" 05:45 "There was no mitts back then." 06:05 Special mitt when splitting 06:35 Special mitt for the header - hidden palm? header palm? Heading palm. 07:00 The sound of Doug demonstrating something, perhaps the heading palm 07:40 Cleats on the table for splitting 08:00 They look at a splitting knife, talk about skills 08:25 Truckle or trumble (?) for drawing water 08:45 How long would the fish sit in the pounds (?) in the salt 08:50 Back when we was first fishing, 700 quintals (kantals) of fish every year 09:00 How we used to do it back then, a discussion 09:35 The women would work at it as well, turning and spreading fish 10:00 Two lots on each side, just room to walk 10:15 Discussion of puncheon tub 10:40 Pointing out of Doug's initials 10:50 More of the process discussed 11:05 Salt bought at merchants 11:15 Discussion of roof 11:30 Salt first, then dry 11:45 Wash it after it is salted 12:05 From the puncheon right to the flake 12:10 Never worked on Saturdays or Sundays 12:30 How long in the salt? Month or two months. 12:50 Circle on the door? Don't know why. 13:05 Poles and their purposes 13:30 Reminiscing about the stage back in its original form 14:10 Live lumber 14:30 Heads and butts 14:50 The rafters, shores and supports 15:00 Five 20-feet wharves supporting 15:20 Dan points out some wharves outside 16:40 Ballast bed supporting them, rock fill 17:20 Discussion of where the wood came from 17:45 Discussion of the clapboard roof 18:30 Discussion of heating (you wouldn't want it hot) 19:05 Windows, shutters 19:25 Discussion of lighting, stage lights, lanterns 19:45 Splitting night and day 20:00 How late would you work? 20:10 Once, three nights and three days 20:30 How many men to a crew? 21:10 Jokes and pranks! 23:25 Topics of discussion while splitting (mostly the fish) 23:40 "One trying to beat the other... in speed, splitting the fish." 24:10 "The old man used to be the skipper... mostly he used to salt." 24:30 Women in the stage 25:15 "I never did give it up." 25:30 Eric made the model 25:45 Fella in Deep Bay "Don't matter if the quota gets cut back, won't hurt him 'cause he never got anything." 26:00 "When did the salt-fish stop?" Ten or fifteen year ago. 26:20 We do it for ourselves. 26:30 Discussion about financial side of fishing 27:20 "It's all gone." 27:45 Discussion of partying (or lack thereof) on the stage 28:40 No community stage in Barr'd Island 29:00 "Me and Eric have a trap." 29:10 Discussion of trap and how it differs from normal cod-trap 29:45 Discussion of wood in the shop: longers, stringers, just a board, smoother, a whee