Leo Jesso

Leo Jesso’s Interview

1. How long has it been since you last fished? I have not fished since 1984. That would be about twenty years.
2. How many years did you fish? I fished for fifty-nine long years.
3. How old were you when you began fishing for a living? I was ten years old when I first began fishing.
4. How old were you when you stopped fishing for a living? I was sixty-five years old when I stopped fishing for a living.
5. Did you seek further employment after you stopped fishing? If so, what kind of employment did you seek? No I did not seek further employment because I was too old to keep fishing.
6. What was the reason behind your stopping fishing for a living? Was it because of age, sickness, etc., or was it for another reason entirely different? The reason why I stopped fishing was because I began getting my old age pension.
7. Was fishing at that time the main source of income for people in your community? When I fished, fishing was the main source of income for people in my community.
8. Around what area (location) did you fish? I fished in Sheaves Cove.
9. What did you fish? (Lobster, crab, cod, etc.) I fished anything I could catch. At that time people fished everything.
10. What equipment did you use for fishing? (Maybe comment on how the equipment has changed over the years. For example, the use of hydraulics over the last few years). I fished in a row dory with paddles.
11. Was there a lot of fish to catch at that time? (Try to get a rough estimate at the catch size) When I fished there was plenty of fish. There was no shortage whatsoever.
12. Do you miss fishing for a living? What aspects of it do you miss the most? Why? Yes I miss fishing but due to age I can not fish anymore.
13. Was it an occupation that you enjoyed to do or was it an occupation that you had no other choice but to do? Fishing was something you had to do. Fishing was the most of our living. When we didn’t fish, we raised cattle.
14. Was fishing an occupation that was kept up from generation to generation in your family? Yes, fishing was kept up from generation to generation in my family. That was all we could do for a living.
15. What kind of struggles did you have to face everyday when you went on the water to fish? (Ex. Weather, lost or damage of equipment, etc.). The struggles I faced was bad weather and damage of boats.
16. Was the fishing season the same in the past as it is today? (Mention difference if any) No, people could fish when they wanted. I fished mainly in the spring and fall.
17. How many people fished at the location where you fished? There was about ten to twelve fishermen fishing at the beach.
18. Do you have any fishing stories that you will like to share? (Try to get at least one) I can’t remember any stories. Since I got older, my memory has not been good.
19. Other additional information that may be mentioned throughout the interview. I am eighty-nine years old.