History of the Fishermen's Revolt

More than 150 years ago, part of the Auberge Le Caribou existed as William Fruing and Company. It was on the current grounds of the Auberge Le Caribou that fishermen revolted against the Jersey companies. Naming the Resto-Pub La Révolte in honor of this event was therefore obvious. We are very proud to welcome you among us and to introduce you to a page of our history.
The context of the revolt
Fishermen are rebelling against an economic system dominated by foreign companies, mainly from Jersey. Today, Rivière-au-Renard proudly bears the title of "Fishing Capital" of Quebec. And it is not without reason. Indeed, its local history has been characterized for over 200 years by the exploitation of fisheries resources. This village is also remembered for having been the scene of a demonstration in 1909 by fishermen who were demanding higher prices for their catch. The movement of discontent has since been known as the "Rivière-au-Renard Revolt". The action of the fishermen, during this event, was not directed against a political authority as the use of the word "revolt" might suggest, but against an economic system dominated by foreign companies, mainly from Jersey.
The revolt
In a context where fishermen incurred costs at the beginning of the season based on the cost price of their catch, they rightly suspected the large companies of wanting to adjust this price downwards, and thus try to put them into even more debt. Seeing this coming, they sent one of them, Philippe Francoeur, to negotiate the sale of their fish directly with a buyer from Halifax. This client's boat arrived in Rivière-au-Renard on September 3, but he left the village the following night without making any compromises. Suspecting last-minute collusion with the companies, the coastal fishermen, about fifty men at the start, went to Robin Collas and Co. on September 4, with Joseph Tapp at their head, and demanded a price of 4 $ per quintal for their fish.
Not accustomed to this kind of show of solidarity, the company agents panicked and fled. In the midst of the scuffle, one of them pulled out a weapon and wounded a fisherman, Urbain Chrétien, in the thigh. Of course, the clerk received a beating. The next day, a new crowd formed and negotiations with the managers of the local stores led to a forced agreement that their bosses denied abroad. On September 7, the latter requested the support of the government, which sent two armed boats to Rivière-au-Renard. In the following days, the military arrested a little over fifteen men who were asking for nothing more than a fair price for their cod. Other people were arrested and all were prosecuted and imprisoned in Percé.
Although the fishermen lost their case, the companies paid a high price. Robin, Collas and Co.'s business declined to the point where its shareholders sold their shares to a Halifax firm. The new company was known as Robin, Jones and Whitman. William Fruing and Company went bankrupt in 1912. As for the amount of money paid to fishermen for their fish, it rose again from 1910 onwards, reaching unprecedented heights during the First World War.
Mario Mimeault, MA History, Independent Researcher
Gaspé, September 9, 2002