Changing Tides - Vanishing Voices of Nikkei Fishermen and Their Families

By Kotaro Hayashi, Fumio Frank Kanno, Henry Tanaka, and Jim Tanaka

Winner of the BC Book Prize 2018

This book is a collection of personal stories of Japanese-Canadian fishermen and their families on the B.C. coast from before the Second World War to the present day. Some of the stories are conversational recollections, some are the result of interviews and others are an individual’s personally written recollection. There are stories of hardship, determination and triumph; others provide a personal perspective on the injustices, discrimination, and racism encountered and how they persevered to overcome these setbacks. Above all, they illustrate the enduring bonds of family, community, and culture. These stories, accompanied by family photographs, capture a fading way of life.

They are a tribute to the Nikkei fishermen and their contributions to the fishing industry, to the communities where they lived, and to Canada’s rich multicultural heritage.