The Post-War Period 233 
     
    
   
   
    
     speeches at the National Conventions at the end of the nineteenth 
     
     century to recall the key position the Acadian farmer once held. 
     
    
   
   
    
     FISHING 
     
    
   
   
    
     Nowadays the fishing industry is without doubt the most impor- 
     
     tant economic activity for Island Acadians. It forms the basis of the 
     
     economy around Tignish, Palmer Road, Egmont Bay, Mont Carmel 
     
     and North Rustico and provides employment for a considerable 
     
     number of fishermen, fishhands and male and female factory workers. 
     
     The fishing industry has also created jobs in trucking, boatbuilding 
     
     and the sale of gasoline. Of all the co-operatives formed in the 1920s 
     
     and 30s that we examined earlier, only two still existed in 1980: one 
     
     in Tignish and another in Abram’s Village. Both of these are large 
     
     enterprises and constitute the biggest employers in their respective 
     
     communities. 
     
    

    
     As in the past, most of the work is seasonal and does not last 
     
     more than six months. For the rest of the year those who do not 
     
     manage to find another job—the majority, in other words—can draw 
     
     unemployment insurance which gives them a regular income during 
     
     the off-season. The fisherman is no longer forced to leave his family 
     
     and the Island after the fishing season in order to find another source 
     
     of income. One should note, however, that this period of unemploy- 
     
     ment is not an off-season from the point of view of work to be done. 
     
     During the fall and winter months fishermen perform various tasks 
     
     including making and mending fishing gear, maintenance work on 
     
     their property, cutting firewood, community work or taking retraining 
     
     courses. As for the women, they constitute an important part of the 
     
     workforce. It should be emphasized that especially since the 1960s, 
     
     women make a substantial contribution to the family income. 
     
    

    
     The Development Plan for the province had a considerable impact 
     
     on the fishermen, as it did on farmers. Various measures were taken 
     
     to prevent over-fishing, to increase the income of fishermen and to 
     
     modernize the industry. Programs were thus implemented to limit 
     
     the number of fishermen and to improve harbour installations and 
     
     processing plants. Fishermen were given access to training courses in 
     
     their trade and could benefit from sizeable subsidies that enabled 
     
     them to modernize their equipment and even to build new boats.