This the story of a fishing boat and the people whose lives she touched. Launched as a Japanese immigrant's dream in 1926, the Suzie A went on to become part of the lives and dreams of Canadians of Norwegian, Yugoslav and First Nations descent. It is an account in which the racism that has pervaded so much of the history of the West Coast plays an important and heart wrenching part. This is also an account of British Columbia's commercial fishing industry that is carried out amidst some of the world's most difficult and spectacular waterwarys. But especially it tells the sixty-year saga of Ritchie and the Suzie A, the boat he grew to cherish.

Alan Haig-Brown learned to swim in the 1950s, among the humpback salmon in the Campbell River. He seined salmon and herring until 1973, and served for eleven years as coordinator of Indian education in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. Haig-Brown became editor of the West Coast Fisherman in 1986 and later founded The West Coast Mariner and The West Coast Logger. His award-winning books for Harbour Publishing include Fishing for a Living and The Fraser River.

Alan Haig-Brown's profile page

Richard Tetrault has received numerous grants for his exhibits and public projects, including a five-month residency in Germany, a Canada Council Grant for an exhibition in Asia, support for touring exhibitions in Mexico and Africa, and grants for mural collaborations and workshops. These murals are visible throughout the Vancouver area, in community centres, public housing developments, banks, and schools. Tetrault's artwork (in full colour) is showcased in Anvil Press's Painted Lives and Shifting Landscapes, and in Signs of the Times (black and white wood prints)?which also features the poetry of Bud Osborn.

Richard Tetrault's profile page

This small book fills an important chapter in British Columbia history…. Haig-Brown brings to life evocative names that still have the tang of the salt-water fishery. One almost wants to join as a crew member and cast off from land. Recommended.

Canadian Materials