Prince Edward County fisherman hands family business to Syrian refugee

A veteran fisherman from Prince Edward Countyis handing the reins ofhis company over to a 21-year-old Syrian newcomer in an effort to keepthe only fish processing operation left in the county alive.

Kendall Dewey, 66, was desperately looking for someone to take over the commercialfishing business that had beenin his family for four generations.

If Dewey Fisheries closed, shops and restaurants in the area could be left without a source of local seafood. So Dewey contacted employment agencies and scouted people locally who might have an interest.

His search was falling shortuntil he met Slieman al-Jasem, a refugee from Syria who'd never cleaned a fish before but had a knack for learning quickly and a desire to run his own company.

"He had worked in Lebanon, starting at a very early age 13 or14 years old at a stone quarry, trying to earn money for his family,"Dewey told CBC Radio's Ontario Morninglast week.

"He had rather nasty experiences in Lebanonworking for people. And he saw this as an opportunity to have his own business and notwork for anybody else."

'Getting too old'

Dewey and his wife Joanne had been starting their days before dawn, seven days a week. They'd been spending more than 70 hours each week laying and hauling traps,weighing and processing the daily catch and meeting with suppliers and buyers.

Last year, Dewey said, they decided they were "getting too old" and wanted to retire.

"We did contact government employment agencies and basically said [that] we have... a ready-made occupation, a job, we have facilities that can be used until someone can get on their feet," he told Ontario Morning.

"They weren't of any assistance."

Passing on the torch

The family metal-Jasemat a local diner, where they watched a documentary about his life.

After a few more meetings, theychose him as their heir to the business.

Now al-Jasem is learning how toscale and fillet the fish,andmay eventually take over the fishing license as well. In just a few days, Dewey said, al-Jasembecame faster than he was at processing the catch.

"Ididn't want to see [our company's] particular value to the overall fishery, what's left of it anyhow, lost," Dewey said.

"He's carrying it on and I hope he continues to do it in the future."