GEORGE Bleasdale
What do you like about the work that you do?
You’re outside, you get to work with some pretty decent people. It’s a good company to work for.
What did you do before coming here to work?
I lobster fished, did a little bit of everything, worked on potato farms… but I prefer the water.
It’s year-round steady work. There’s always something different to do here, so you never get bored.
Tell me a bit about a typical workday.
I do a little bit of everything. Run boats, de-clump, do a bit of maintenance. Right now, I’m clumping. Sometimes I’ll start at three in the morning just to keep ahead of the sockers and everyone. It’s always busy, which is good. The day goes by a lot faster when you’re moving.
What would you tell someone who is curious about working here?
Give it a shot! They’re pretty good guys to train you up if you don’t know what you’re doing. They’ll show you and teach you how to do it. They’re very understanding, a very good company to work with.
Are there any other positions in this company that you can see yourself doing in the future?
Running the boat full time and being out in the open. You have a lot more responsibility when you’re on the boat. You’re responsible for your crew and for getting the job done.
And how did you hear about this job?
Well, I’ve done this job for quite a few years with this company, and with other companies before that. One day Greg Clark mentioned to me that he was hiring and asked if I was looking for a job. I said, “Sure, why not?” I’ve been here ever since, probably 10 or 11 years now. It’s a good crew to work with.
What’s something about your job that the average person might not know?
A lot of people don’t know what we do here. It’s just like a farm on land, we take care of the crop.
The pay is very good. I’m on land here now, but I try to get out in the water as much as I can. After socking is over, I’m out on the water transferring, harvesting, buoying up, running lines, spraying. We spray to keep the tourniquet off, to keep the socks clean. If the socks get covered in growth, the mussels can’t feed. Keeping them clean is a fulltime job.